Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh, who handles the portfolios of Human Resources Development, Information Technology, Electronics and Communications, and Real Time Governance, financed his frequent air travel to Hyderabad using his own money, according to replies received from various departments under the Right To Information (RTI) Act.
The RTI applications, filed by activist Kodamala Suresh Babu of Guntur district, revealed that Minister Lokesh has not claimed any travelling expenses from the departments he manages for these trips. The TDP officially stated that the replies from the Higher Education Department, Skill Development and Training Department, Information Technology, Electronics, and Real Time Governance departments confirmed that the Minister did not claim a single rupee for these tours.
The ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is using the RTI revelations to counter the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), which had previously alleged that Lokesh travelled to Hyderabad 77 times by special aircraft in the 18 months since the coalition came to power, accusing him of misusing public money for personal visits. The TDP leaders have hit back, asserting that the YSRCP’s claims were “blatant lies” and accusing the opposition of making baseless allegations against the Minister.
