TRS MP K Kavitha on Friday attacked TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh, asking him to confine himself to politics in Andhra Pradesh instead of meddling in Telangana issues.
Lokesh is the son of Andhra chief minister Chandrababu Naidu, while Kavitha is the daughter of Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. Lokesh had recently criticized the reorganization of districts in Telangana.
Kavitha was speaking at a “Meet the Press” event organised by the Press Club in Hyderabad.
The Deccan Chronicle reported:
Kavitha ridiculed the declaration of family assets by Lokesh recently and said her family did not amass wealth like his did. She said that her family has been declaring income and assets to the Income Tax department ever year and was paying taxes promptly and such there was no need for them to declare these before the public every year.
Kavitha was responding to comments made by Lokesh when he announced his family assets for the sixth consecutive year.
"We have not amassed wealth like them. We have been declaring all our sources of income and assets to the I-T department every year. Interested people can obtain details from the I-T department. We are not eager to portray ourselves as Anna Hazare like they are. Everyone knows who is what. Lokesh says smaller districts create problems. This shows his ignorance," Kavitha was quoted as saying.
Kavitha also defended her family’s presence in the TRS government as both, her brother K T Rama Rao, and uncle, T Harish Rao and ministers in the state.
The New Indian Express quoted her as saying:
"Dynastic politics is an integral part of India’s political culture. It is there in every party right from Uttar Pradesh to Andhra Pradesh. So pointing fingers at only TRS is not correct .Our family members were all in the forefront of Telangana struggle and have people’s acceptance. We all started our political career at ground level and got elected with the peoples’ support. Hence, we are in power, due to people’s mandate and not because we belong to a family. Moreover, one has to see the merit of the person and his ability to deliver things. To say that one should not be in the government just because one belongs to the family of a ruling party leader is not right."