For quite some time, there have been speculations in political circles that Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu will hand over the reins of the party and the government to his son Nara Lokesh and might move to national politics after 2029.
However, Lokesh dismissed these speculations. Taking part in a media conclave of India Today at Coimbatore on Monday, he clarified that Naidu would not enter national politics at all.
“The chief minister’s eyes are fixed only on Andhra Pradesh. His sole mission is to make Andhra Pradesh the number one state in the country. There is no doubt in this. Development of AP is our only goal. All rumours must stop here,” he said.
Lokesh further asserted that the TDP would continue to support the NDA government until the 2029 elections.
When asked whether the INDIA bloc’s candidate, Justice B Sudarshan Reddy, being a Telugu person would influence their decision in the Vice-Presidential election, Lokesh replied in the negative.
“Our slogan is India First. We are very clear on this. We will support leadership that can take the country forward. We extend 100 percent support to Prime Minister Modi’s leadership. The Vice President election will not change our focus.”
On the New National Education Policy (NEP), Lokesh said the TDP supports it. He recalled his earlier meeting with Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who stressed the importance of learning in one’s mother tongue.
Lokesh pointed out that while the NEP encourages three-language learning, Hindi is not compulsory.
“I myself have learnt three languages, and my son Devansh is also learning them. If asked whether North Indians should learn South Indian languages, my answer is — why not? There is nothing wrong in that,” he said.
