'Never asked for Cabinet berths but ...': TDP's Nara Lokesh on support for PM Modi

I did 3,132 padyatras where I got a chance to meet people from all walks of life, says TDP leader Nara Lokesh.

Telugu Desam Party  leader and Chandrababu Naidu's son Nara Lokesh said the party’s support to Narendra Modi has been unconditional.

“We believe the nation needs strong leadership, a leadership which has vision and can make India a developed nation. We believe in Narendra Modiji, there are no second thoughts about it,” said Lokesh.

During the exclusive interview with CNN-News18, the TDP leader said the party will not press for Cabinet berths. Narendra Modi will be sworn in as Prime Minister for third consecutive term on Sunday at 6 pm.

“We have never asked for anything. We have never asked for ministries. Yes, we will ask for funds, performance-linked incentives to promote industries. That is how AP developed. We will need the Centre’s help there,” he said.

According to Lokesh, the party's focus will be creating jobs and uplifting Andhra Pradesh. “We would like to create 20 lakh jobs,” he said.

The TDP won 16 Lok Sabha and 135 seats in Andhra and has emerged as a key player in the National Democratic Alliance that is set to form the government again at the Centre as well as in the state.

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“I did 3,132 padyatras where I got a chance to meet people from all walks of life. There was a lot of hatred and resentment against the government. Apart from inefficiency and complacency, people didn’t like the arrogance with which they were being governed. One of the major reasons for their loss is arrogance. No government should be arrogant. It should be approachable. It should be the people’s government, a government led by the people. That is the approach with which NDA in Andhra is forming the government,” he said.

Speaking about political differences in the alliance over Uniform Civil Code, one nation one poll and reservation for Muslims, Lokesh said if there are issues “we will sit as NDA partners and discuss it across the table”. “The kind of relationship we had with Vajpayee ji was golden and we look forward to this. We don’t want to fight. We want solutions,” he told CNN-News18.

Special status

According to Lokesh, the bifurcation of the state was against the wishes of the majority of the state. “The single reason was that 62 years were spent in the development of Hyderabad. All investments went there. There were certain commitments made to us in the bifurcation bill on which we continued to fight. Special status is one such commitment. Special status was given to AP because it’s mainly an agrarian economy. We now look forward to creating 20 lakh jobs. Andhra has the longest coastline, which can create a lot of work. Our agenda is clear,” he said.