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All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday, June 15 took a jibe at Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu alleging that he was ruining his son Nara Lokesh’s political future.
“More than harming yourself, you have harmed your son’s political future,” Owaisi said, referring to Chandrababu’s son and Andhra Human Resource Development Minister Nara Lokesh. “After you, your son will take over the party, won’t he? It won’t be Junior NTR,” Owaisi added sarcastically. He was addressing a gathering at Kurnool district's Adoni.
The jibe comes amid longstanding rumours that popular Telugu actor Jr NTR, who is also the grandson of TDP founder NT Rama Rao (NTR) would enter politics and likely be Lokesh’s competitor for succession.
Accusing the Andhra CM of compromising the Indian constitution to benefit divided AP’s new capital Amaravati, Owaisi criticised Chandrababu’s alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Following the Andhra Assembly and Lok Sabha elections (which were held simultaneously in May 2024), the TDP has been a part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the BJP.
“I assumed you wouldn’t repeat this mistake after entering into an alliance with the BJP in 2002. But you have proven that you will implement the Sangh’s (referring to the Rashtriya Swamyasevak Sangh) agenda at the cost of issues affecting Muslims,” he said.
Owaisi’s critique of Chandrababu comes a few weeks after the BJP led Union government passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025 in April 2025. The Waqf Amendment Act 2025 (UMEED Act) was introduced to bring about key changes to the Waqf Act, 1954. Since then Muslim intellectuals, activists and opposition leaders have accused the BJP of diluting the Waqf Act to weaken the rights of Muslims.
Also Read: Interview: Telangana Waqf Board chairman on the flaws in amended Waqf Act
The TDP along with other parties of the NDA had voted in favour of the amendment in the Lok Sabha.