Meeting Shivakumar doesn’t imply alliance with INDIA, says TDP’s Lokesh

Vijayawada: With Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu’s ‘chance’ meeting with Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shiva Kumar leading to speculation in political circles, TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh has said that the meeting was coincidental and no political meaning should be seen in it.

Nara Lokesh told the media that the meeting does not imply that the TDP will be part of the India bloc. “What’s wrong with meeting DK Shiva Kumar?…He met Chandrababu, but it doesn’t imply an alliance with the INDIA bloc,” he said.

The meeting between Chandrababu Naidu and Shivakumar on the tarmac of Bengaluru airport on Thursday sparked speculation about political equations in Andhra Pradesh ahead of next year’s Lok Sabha polls and assembly polls in the state.

Talking to the media, Nara Lokesh also said his party had played a “pivotal role” in securing the rights of the Backward Classes (BCs) and asserted that the TDP has consistently stood by the BCs throughout its history.

Meanwhile, TDP MP Kesineni Nani expressed gratitude to the Modi government for the initiative of Vijayawada Critical Care Unit.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday laid the foundation Stone of two critical care blocks, BSL-3 Laboratory, in Vijayawada.

He said it is the Modi government’s responsibility and commitment to provide quality healthcare infrastructure and services to the people, as only a healthy country can aspire to become a developed country.