It appears Telugu Desam Party general secretary and Andhra Pradesh IT minister Nara Lokesh has taken complete control of the party affairs and is periodically reviewing the performance of the party MLAs and even his fellow ministers belonging to the TDP.
According to party sources, Lokesh has been making it clear to the party leaders to see that they should not repeat the mistakes committed by the YSR Congress party leaders when their party was in power.
He has found that several elected representatives of the TDP continue to remain consistently inaccessible to citizens and address public grievances without delay.
Despite earlier stringent instructions from the government mandating weekly grievance-redressal sessions in every assembly constituency, the directive remains unimplemented in several areas.
According to internal surveys conducted by the TDP, more than 25 of the 130-plus constituencies represented by TDP MLAs and ministers have not been conducting these mandatory public-complaint sessions.
Taking serious note of this, Lokesh directed the party’s zonal in-charges to issue formal notices to two ministers and 23 MLAs who failed to conduct the grievance programmes, seeking an explanation for their non-compliance.
The TDP leadership has also identified negligence in implementing the party’s insurance-benefit scheme for its cadre.
Of the nearly 600 party workers who died across the state recently, families of 75 deceased workers have not yet received the promised insurance benefit of Rs. 5 lakh.
Surveys reportedly concluded that the failure was due to lapses by local MLAs and ministers. Lokesh is learnt to have taken a serious view of this issue as well, telling zonal coordinators that such lapses would not be tolerated under any circumstances.
In parallel, Lokesh is reviewing the status of nominated positions across the state. He assured leaders awaiting appointments that no loyal party worker who contributed to the election victory would be denied justice.
He instructed zonal coordinators to prepare constituency-wise lists of leaders and workers who rendered dedicated service but have not yet been accommodated in nominated posts.
He reiterated that ensuring fairness in political rehabilitation is his direct responsibility.
