a bill to Save faction victims’ kin

To prevent children of faction victims from being drawn into cycles of revenge, Chandrababu Naidu established the NTR Model School in Hyderabad, where many such children were provided education and support. “They were treated like our own children and given opportunities to build a better future,” Lokesh recalled.

In a humanitarian initiative aimed at discouraging factional violence and supporting its victims, the Andhra Pradesh government has introduced legislation to provide government employment to a member of families who lose their breadwinner in faction-related killings. State IT and Education Minister Nara Lokesh presented the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Appointments (Amendment) Bill in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, stating that the measure reflects the government’s commitment to building a faction-free society.

Lokesh explained that the bill was brought forward while ensuring justice to the family of Thota Chandrayya, a Backward Class (BC) leader from Palnadu who was brutally murdered in a faction attack. Stressing that the legislation is not meant to benefit a single individual or political party, the minister said it is a broader social measure intended to ensure that families devastated by faction violence are not left without support.

The minister recalled that the issue of supporting families affected by faction violence was one of the key assurances he made during his extensive Yuva Galam Padayatra across Andhra Pradesh. During the march, Lokesh had met several families that had lost loved ones to political or factional violence and had pledged that, if given the opportunity, the government would create a permanent institutional mechanism to support such families.

According to Lokesh, the proposed legislation is a direct fulfillment of that promise. “The aim is not merely to provide relief to one family but to send a clear message that the state will stand firmly with victims and ensure that faction violence has no place in Andhra Pradesh,” he said.

Referring to the incident that triggered the legislative initiative, Lokesh said the people of the state would never forget the brutal killing of BC leader Thota Chandrayya on January 12, 2022. Chandrayya was attacked and murdered in broad daylight, an incident that shocked the public and drew widespread condemnation.

“Chandrayya was killed in a cruel and barbaric manner on a public road. His only ‘crime’ was that he refused to give up the yellow flag and continued to raise slogans in support of Chandrababu Naidu,” Lokesh said. “As a society, we have a responsibility to stand by the family of such a sacrifice.” He announced that the government has decided to provide a government job to Chandrayya’s son, describing it as a step towards ensuring justice and dignity for the family.

Lokesh clarified that the decision was not limited to a single party. He said the proposal was discussed in the Cabinet with Jana Sena Party chief and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, who expressed strong support for the measure. Other alliance partners, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), also endorsed the initiative, he added. “This is not a political decision. It is a social responsibility. All coalition partners have supported it because it is a step towards ending factional politics,” the minister said.

Lokesh also accused the previous government of stalling the same legislation. According to him, the bill had earlier been passed in the Assembly and sent to the Legislative Council but was deliberately held back. “A Backward Class family that lost its breadwinner was denied justice because the bill was stalled,” he alleged. “However, following constitutional provisions, we have brought the bill before the House again.”

The minister said the law would act as a deterrent to factional attacks by assuring families that the state would stand firmly behind them. “If families of victims receive government support and stability, those who resort to faction violence will think twice before targeting them,” Lokesh said. “This is not about helping one person. It is about protecting society and ensuring that innocent families are not destroyed by factional politics.”

Lokesh also reflected on the long and violent history of factional politics in parts of Andhra Pradesh, particularly in Rayalaseema and certain regions of the state. He noted that when N. Chandrababu Naidu became Chief Minister in 1995, he declared a strong campaign against factionalism. However, after Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy assumed power in 2004, Lokesh alleged that political violence escalated during the initial years.

“Within the first two years, 164 TDP activists were brutally murdered across the state. Anantapur district witnessed especially severe violence. Leaders often had to attend one bereaved family only to hear of another killing soon after,” he said.