Sons of AP, Telangana CMs slug it out in US to woo investments

Naidu's son Lokesh met President Obama, Vishal Sikka and Vinod Khosla; KCR's son K T Rama Rao contacted Boeing and MasterCard execs among others

The sons of the chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are engaged in a battle of a different kind -- wooing US investors and promoting their states as preferred investment destination.

N Lokesh, son of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's son K T Rama Rao are currently on a visit to the US, meeting NRIs and corporate honchos.

The fact that the two young leaders have embarked on this trip around the same time has not gone unnoticed.

Lokesh is at present the coordinator for TDP's workers welfare fund and holds no position in Naidu's Cabinet, while Rama Rao is Panchayat Raj and Information Technology Minister.

The profiles of the two young guns have seen upward trajectory in recent months.

Lokesh, an MBA from Stanford University, interacted with NRI entrepreneurs and top executives like Vishal Sikka of Infosys and Vinod Khosla and also met US President Barack Obama in Portland.

Lokesh has explained to Obama on the Smart Village/ Ward towards Smart Andhra Pradesh programme, the state's new industrial policy and the ambitious growth plans of the state under the leadership of Naidu, according to the ruling TDP.

During his US visit that began a week ago, 32-year-old Lokesh had several meetings with NRI Telugus and urged them to adopt their native village or any other village of their choice and be the catalyst for its development.

Senior party leader and former MLA Payyavula Keshav says Lokesh has delivered on the party's membership enrolment drive and also on the workers welfare front but dismissed suggestions that TDP is promoting dynastic politics.

Thirty-eight-year-old Rama Rao, who was also educated in the US, met executives of several top firms like Boeing and MasterCard.

New York-headquartered investment management firm DE Shaw has come forward to invest $200 million in Hyderabad, according to Rama Rao.

The Rama Rao-led delegation met with former US Ambassador to India Frank Wisner who has maintained close links with Hyderabad in the capacity of Chairman of the Deccan Heritage Foundation, which supports conservation initiatives of important monuments in the region.

Upon a request made by the minister, Wisner agreed to serve as the Goodwill Ambassador for the newly-formed state of Telangana, offering his services to promote the state as a preferred investment destination among the international investors community.