A strong political leader is the one who is always accessible to his supporters whether or not he is holding a position or has power. Only when they are willing to accommodate and mingle with the cadre to hear their issues, politicians can develop the image of a ‘People’s Leader’ within the party and also among the public outside. This is what went missing in Andhra Pradesh during 2019 to 2024 when Jagan Mohan Reddy was the Chief Minister of the state. He was barely available to his party leaders, leave about cadre or common people.
Now, IT Minister Nara Lokesh, who is calling shots in the NDA government, is doing exactly the opposite of what Jagan Mohan Reddy did in the last five years. After coming to power, Lokesh has not just been concentrating on bringing investments to the state but also making sure that he maintains a strong rapport with the leaders and the cadre. This appreciable personal trait of Lokesh has openly been evident on numerous occasions in the last 18 months.
The manner in which Lokesh cordially treats party seniors and how he interacts with them despite his hectic work schedule is once again proved when seasoned politician Vasantha Krishna Prasad openly revealed his personal experience during his recent media interaction with a Telugu news channel. The Mylavaram MLA recollected how Lokesh spent more than 40 minutes to interact with his son when he went to explain some public issues in his constituency. He further added that Lokesh made a note of all problems pertaining to his constituency and spoke with concerned to solve the issues immediately.
Vasantha Krishna Prasad, who was in YSRCP in last five years and later resigned to the party before the 2024 elections, criticised how Jagan used to give a cold shoulder to his party MLAs and other leaders after coming to power in 2019. Moreover, he praised Lokesh for sparing time with his son and also listening to the issues of his constituency .
Not just Vasantha Krishna Prasad, so many other YSRCP leaders and supporters openly lamented many times that Jagan never allowed them to meet him in the last five years. Even MLAs and MPs used to wait for so many days to get his appointment and some of them were not even allowed to enter his camp office by his coterie of leaders.
This simple difference in qualities between Jagan and Lokesh is what keeps Telugu Desam Party way ahead than YSRCP in treating leaders and cadre.
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