Nandamuri Balakrishna said to have sacrificed ‘ministry’ for his son-in-low Nara Lokesh who will soon be expected to inducted into Chandrababu Naidu’s cabinet. Reportedly, Balayya has said ‘no’ when offered ministry in Naidu’s cabinet as it’d affect the chances of his son-in-law becoming a minister.
Apparently, CM Chandrababu Naidu had planned a surprise for Balayya as he wanted him to elevate to the position of minister from MLA. And yes, there was political advantage to the party as well in the plan as this would strengthen the party in Rayalaseema where it was trailing.
While TDP is doing well in Uttarandhra and Dakshinandhra, it’s lagging behind Opposition YSR Congress in Rayalaseema. Considering that Balakrishna has good fan base in Rayalaseema as most of his films have done fairly well in the region and set several Box Office records, Naidu had planned to use this to strengthen the party and thus further obstruct the beleaguered YSRCP.
However, Balayya said to have gently turned down to Naidu’s offer and cleared way to Lokesh’s induction into the cabinet. It’s learnt that Lokesh would be made minister (IT or Industries portfolio) on the eve of Ugadi.
When media had questioned Balayya about he not being made minister, he said, “I’m never interested in position or power. I don’t want to be minister. I’m happy with what I’ve now.”
On prodded to respond about reports of Lokesh to be named as minister and whether he would welcome it, he responded, “Who am I to welcome him? It’d be party’s call. Whatever party decides, everyone has to follow the line.”
Meanwhile, speculations are rife in TDP that Balayya is doing a great sacrifice for his son-in-law’s future. Lokesh who is presently the TDP National Committee General Secretary is soon expected to be inducted into the state government. Stay tuned for the more developments and insights.