The presence of hardcore YSR Congress Party loyalist Ravindra Reddy Ippala at an official Andhra Pradesh government event attended by IT Minister Nara Lokesh on Tuesday triggered an uproar within the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).
Ippala, who was previously notorious for posting derogatory and abusive content against Lokesh and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on social media, was seen at an event where the state government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with software company Cisco.
Apparently, Ippala attended the programme in his capacity as Cisco’s Territory Account Manager and was even seen shaking hands with Lokesh. It later emerged that Ippala had coordinated the entire MoU signing event with Lokesh’s office.
Within minutes of photos and videos from the event surfacing online, TDP leaders took to social media to express their outrage. They began circulating Ippala’s old offensive posts targeting top TDP leaders and questioned how he was allowed to meet Lokesh.
Unsurprisingly, this development left Lokesh embarrassed. When it was brought to his attention — while he was attending the Collectors’ Conference in Amaravati — Lokesh reportedly became furious. He expressed anger at his office staff and immediately instructed them to take corrective action.
In response, Lokesh’s office sent a strongly worded letter to Cisco’s management. The letter, issued by Lokesh’s Officer on Special Duty (OSD), highlighted how Ippala had previously posted offensive content against Naidu, Lokesh, and other TDP leaders.
The letter requested that Cisco ensure Ravindra Reddy Ippala is kept away from any future projects involving the Andhra Pradesh government. It also demanded an immediate response from Cisco regarding the matter.
Meanwhile, TDP social media activists have continued to criticize Lokesh’s office for allowing someone with a controversial background to meet the minister. They questioned whether proper background checks were conducted before granting access to key government officials.
Although Ippala now claims he has no association with the YSR Congress Party, TDP activists continue to highlight his past social media posts to target him.