Nara Lokesh wants criminal action against social media users 'tarnishing' image of TDP

This comes after several people on social media began mocking Lokesh over his fumbles in public.

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Irked by 'growing criticism' of the TDP and the Andhra government, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu's son, Nara Lokesh, reportedly wants to take action.

According to a PTI report, the TDP General Secretary and recently inducted state Information Technology Minister has asked TDP 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...If we start taking criminal action against those making critical posts, it will be a deterrent to others," Lokesh was quoted as saying

This comes after several people on social media began mocking Lokesh over his fumbles in public, and started circulating several videos widely.

Even as people were questioning his fluency in Telugu, as he was seen struggling to recite some words during his oath-taking ceremony, Lokesh extended "greetings" to people on the occasion of 126th "vardhanti" (death anniversary) of BR Ambedkar, when it was the birth anniversary.

The gaffe happened at a public meeting.

The 34-year-old Lokesh, who was elected to the state legislative council last month, is a first-time minister.

Lokesh also holds the portfolio of Panchayat Raj and Rural Development. He was inducted in the first week of April.

This came after Naidu, distributed portfolios which he had been holding since 2014 and also reallocated the portfolios of five ministers who were dropped from the cabinet.

This was the first expansion, since the formation of the state in 2014.

The cabinet rejig triggered dissidence in the party with one of the dropped ministers resigning from the assembly and a senior party leader quitting the party post on being denied a cabinet berth.

Naidu's decision to induct four of the 21 defected YSRC MLAs in the Cabinet also received criticism from his political opponents.

The four new ministers, Sujaya Krishna Ranga Rao from Bobbili, C Adinarayana Reddy from Jammalamadugu, N Amaranath Reddy from Palamaner and Bhuma Akhila Priya from Allagadda, were all YSRC MLAs and later defected to the Telugu Desam Party.