metro india news  I amaravati

Andhra Pradesh Human Resource Development and IT Minister Nara Lokesh is set to make a brief visit to the national capital on Friday, where he will call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a “courtesy meeting.”

Lokesh, who leaves for Delhi late Thursday night, is scheduled to meet the Prime Minister on Friday morning before flying back to Amaravati by noon. In the afternoon, he will be seen attending Teachers’ Day celebrations in the state capital.

While the official line is that the meeting is a courtesy call, political observers are abuzz with speculation over the unusually short, tightly packed schedule. Was it merely to thank the Prime Minister for the recent GST reforms, a move Lokesh publicly welcomed on social media, especially the cuts in educational essentials such as maps, charts, pencils, and notebooks? Or is there more to the Delhi visit than meets the eye?

Lokesh’s post on X earlier in the day praising Modi’s “landmark reform” on GST cuts lent credence to the gratitude theory. Yet, the brevity of the visit and the secrecy surrounding the agenda have triggered whispers of possible discussions on Andhra Pradesh’s financial needs, upcoming Centre-state coordination, or even political alignments within the NDA bloc.

With Andhra Pradesh in a delicate phase of rebuilding under the coalition government, even the shortest of trips can hold long-term implications. For now, Lokesh will land in Delhi, meet the Prime Minister, and return before lunch. Whether it was only to extend thanks for tax relief or to secure something more significant will likely emerge in the days ahead.