Chandrababu Naidu's son Lokesh Naidu to play an active role in Telugu Desam Party affairs

HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N Chandrababu Naidu appointed his son Lokesh today, as co-ordinator of the TDP workers' welfare fund activities, thus giving his son a direct and active role in party affairs for the first time.

During its annual conclave last month, the TDP had announced setting up of the fund with a corpus of Rs 20 crore to take care of the welfare of needy party workers.

In fact, the fund was the brainchild of Lokesh, who during his maiden speech at the conclave, mooted the idea to extend financial support to the party's flag bearers for their educational, healthcare and other emergency needs.

Supporting his son's idea, Chandrababu had immediately announced setting up of the fund with a Rs 20 crore corpus. The interest which accrues on the corpus amount would be utilised for the welfare of TDP workers, Chandrababu had said.

As announced here today, Lokesh has now been appointed as co-ordinator to work out modalities for operating the fund.

"Our president has asked Lokesh to co-ordinate with senior TDP leaders and activists to work out modalities and operational guidelines for the fund. Based on this, an action plan will be drawn to utilise the fund," TDP programmes committee chairman V V Chowdary said in a statement today.

This is the first direct role which Lokesh would play in the TDP, though for the past few years he had been co-ordinating its affairs from the backroom and drawing up key strategies, supporting his father.