Naidu ropes in Maoist slain Kidari’s son into cabinet

In a simple ceremony at Amaravati on Sunday, Kidari Sravan, son of Araku MLA Kidari Sarveswara Rao who was gunned down by Maoists on 23 September, was inducted as a new minister into the Andhra Pradesh cabinet. Senior TDP leader NMD Farooq was the other to take oath along with first-timer Sravan.

Governor ESL Narasimhan administered the oath of office and secrecy at “Prajavedika” the official residence of Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu in Undavalli. While Sravan was slated to get Tribal welfare ministry, Farooq will be handling minority affairs and health as an additional charge.

Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu who was in USA when Maoists gunned down Araku MLA Kidari and ex-MLA Soma, assured both the bereaved families that he will take care of the future of the children of the slain leaders. It is believed that Naidu was impressed by the cool attitude of Sravan, an engineering graduate from IIT, preparing for his civil in New Delhi. Naidu also wanted to send a strong message to Maoists by inducing an ST into the cabinet.

TDP sources say that Sravan Kumar who is neither an MLA or MLC can continue as a minister for a period of six months. Party hopes that people of Araku will elect Sravan as the elections for the state are slated for 2019 April Otherwise the party will make him an MLC by February or March. The youngest in the state cabinet will be groomed by that time, sources say.

In 1995, NTR’s son Nandamuri Harikrishna was inducted into the cabinet and he worked as a minister for Transportation for six months. It is said that political compulsions have stopped Naidu from finding a vacant seat for his brother in law to contest. Harikrishna was then forced to step aside as a minister. He then stayed away from active politics of his father’s party, the TDP.