Negative posts against TDP may invite trouble in Andhra

Taking a serious view of the ‘growing criticism’ of the party and the government, TDP general secretary and state Information Technology Minister Nara Lokesh has asked his fellow leaders to initiate criminal action against those ‘tarnishing our image’. “The (mainstream) media is favourable to us but we have no control over the social media and there is a lot of negative propaganda against us. 

We have to curb this,” he is said to have told party leaders in a Power-point presentation during the coordination meeting recently. “If we start taking criminal action against those making critical posts, it will be a deterrent to others,” Lokesh, the son of chief minister Naidu, said. What ostensibly angered Lokesh, who only days ago became an MLC and a minister, was the way he was increasingly targeted on social media platforms over his public utterances.

Video clips of his communication skills went viral on social media in recent days and apparently showed him in a ‘very poor light’. Two days ago, for example, he extended ‘greetings’ to people at a public meeting on the occasion of 126th ‘ vardhanti ’ (death anniversary) of Dr B R Ambedkar, whereas it was the birth anniversary.

 The way he fumbled, unable to clearly recite certain words in Telugu, while taking oath as an MLC or his speech at an election meeting wherein he said voting on ‘cycle’ (TDP’s poll symbol) was akin to ‘hanging yourself’ and another instance where he said the TDP was the only party that was ‘casteist, communal, corrupt and money-minded’ all exposed Lokesh, as the videos were circulated widely on the social media.