RTI Replies Confirm Andhra Minister Nara Lokesh Self-Funded 77 Flights to Hyderabad

Amaravati, Nov 2025 : Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh personally bore the cost of 77 flights taken to Hyderabad, according to replies received under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. Responses from multiple departments under his charge confirmed that he did not claim any travel expenses for these trips.

Nara Lokesh serves as the Minister for Human Resources Development, Information Technology, Electronics and Communications, and Real Time Governance. He is also the son of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) said RTI findings had exposed the “blatant lies” of the Opposition YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), which had alleged that Lokesh frequently travelled to Hyderabad on a special aircraft using public funds.

“None of these trips were personal, yet Minister Nara Lokesh funded all of them from his own pocket,” the TDP said in a post on X. The party added that RTI replies clearly showed Lokesh had not claimed even a single rupee from any of the departments he heads.

The responses were provided to RTI applications filed by Kodamala Suresh Babu of Guntur district. Departments including Higher Education, Skill Development and Training, Information Technology, Electronics and Communications, and Real Time Governance all confirmed that no travel reimbursement had been sought by the Minister.

According to officials, all four departments issued similar responses, reaffirming that Lokesh had not claimed travel expenses for any of the flights in question.

For several weeks, YSRCP leaders had criticised Lokesh’s frequent air trips to Hyderabad, accusing him of misusing public money and travelling almost every week. They had claimed he undertook 77 flights to Hyderabad within the 18 months since the TDP-led coalition came to power.

However, with the RTI responses conclusively indicating that Lokesh personally paid for all his travel, the TDP has hit back strongly at the opposition.

“TDP leaders said the opposition is spreading baseless accusations without verifying facts,” the party stated, noting that the RTI findings completely contradicted the narrative pushed by the YSRCP.

The ruling party argued that the opposition’s allegations were politically motivated and intended to tarnish the Minister’s image. The TDP maintained that transparency in governance remains a priority and that the RTI responses serve as “undeniable proof” of Lokesh’s adherence to ethical standards.

With the RTI disclosures now public, the controversy around the Minister’s travel appears to have shifted sharply in favour of the ruling party, providing it with grounds to counter the opposition’s claims.