Lokesh publicly ticks off NTR Jr - TeluguPeople.com News

HYDERABAD: The internal rift between Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu's family and film actor Jr NTR, grandson of party founder NT Rama Rao, seems to be widening as the general elections approach.

Naidu's son Nara Lokesh, during his ongoing campaign for the TDP in Seemandhra, is making light of the non-appearance of NTR Jr in TDP electioneering.

'We will not persuade anybody to campaign for the party. Whoever is with the party can join in without waiting for an invitation,' is the terse reply from Lokesh when scribes and TDP workers ask about the absence of Jr NTR in TDP's campaign trail.

Lokesh also tried to ruffle Jr NTR's feathers by saying Gudiwada MLA Kodali Sri Venkateswara Rao alias Nani had done a good to the TDP by leaving it and joining the YSRC.

Nani is a close confidant of the film actor. Nani printing NTR's photos on the flexi boards of the YSRC invited the wrath of the TDP leadership at that time. Against this backdrop, some say the latest potshots of Lokesh at Nani could be aimed at the young actor.

While Lokesh's father-in-law and film actor Balakrishna is planning to undertake whirlwind tours across Telangana and Seemandhra to woo alienated sections of voters back to the TDP's fold, there is no word either from Jr NTR or his father Harikrishna if they will canvass in support of the yellow party.

In the wake of growing differences between the TDP leadership and Jr NTR, party leaders and cadre express doubts on the possibility of the film star campaigning for the party this time.

In fact, it is an open secret that Jr NTR's father Harikrishna, brother-in-law of Naidu, has been on a collision course with the TDP chief for the last few months ever since Naidu had started projecting his son Lokesh as his political heir. As Harikrishna reportedly wants a key role for his son and film actor Jr NTR, Lokesh's foray into politics has reportedly annoyed him.

Since then, Harikrishna has been trying to irk Naidu whenever he gets an opportunity.

Adding further trouble to the fragile relationship between the TDP chief's family and Jr NTR, some of the fans of the film actor staged a dharna in Nalgonda district.

TDP contestant Vangala Swamy Goud from Huzur Nagar Assembly segment in the district has got some campaign posters printed. They do not have the picture of Jr NTR, but feature Naidu, Balakrishna and Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan.

Annoyed by this, the fans of Jr NTR set fire to the posters and staged a dharna asking what made the contestant to have Pawan's picture in TDP campaign material and not Jr NTR's. Things were about to turn violent, when police interfered and settled the issue.