Andhra Pradesh IT and Education Minister Nara Lokesh on Saturday assured the Kuruba community that the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) will stand by them forever, stating that their support to the party will never be forgotten. He made these remarks while participating in the 538th birth anniversary celebrations of Bhakta Kanakadasa held in Kalyanadurg, where he unveiled a statue of the saint and reformer.

Addressing the gathering, Lokesh said that fulfilling the promise made during his Yuvagalam Padayatra, the state government has now declared Kanakadasa Jayanthi an official state festival.“This is one of the most memorable days of my life,” he remarked, recalling his interactions with the Kuruba community during his Padayatra. 

He announced that temples dedicated to the community’s deity, Berrappa, would be constructed with TTD’s support, and priests serving there would soon receive honorariums through a government order. He also promised to complete the Kuruba community buildings that were left unfinished during the previous government’s tenure within the next 12 months. 

Lokesh further assured that issues faced by shepherds such as lack of shelters, fodder and insurance coverage would be addressed systematically to improve their livelihoods. Emphasizing the historical bond between the TDP and the BC communities, Lokesh expressed gratitude to the people of the undivided Anantapur district for their unwavering support to his family and the party, recalling their role in the electoral victories of NTR, Harikrishna and Balakrishna.

Lokesh reiterated that only under TDP rule did the Kuruba community gain political and economic recognition, including the establishment of the Kuruba Corporation with a Rs 300 crore welfare fund. The event was attended by Ministers Kuruba Savita, Payyavula Keshav, MPs B.K. Parthasarathi, Bastipati Nagaraju, Ambika Lakshminarayana, and several MLAs and community leaders.