At a time when the former MP and Telangana’s caretaker IT Minister, K T Rama Rao, are at loggerheads over a pre-poll survey, Lagadapati’s wife Padma Rajagopal has sprung a surprise. Her presence in support of TRS candidate, Danam Nagender, who is fighting the election from the Khairatabad constituency, on the last day of the election campaign, had everyone stumped.
When asked Padma on what prompted her to campaign for Danam Nagender and the TRS party, she replies, “Danam is like my anna (brother); my daughter-in-law and Danam’s son–in-law are siblings, so he is my family. So to show some solidarity and support, I went there to campaign for him,” adding, “My presence has nothing to do with politics. I went there merely in my capacity as a family member. Moreover since it is the last day of the poll campaign, the entire family was there to rally around him.”
Admitting that a video that shows her campaigning for Danam has gone viral, Padma states, “Yeah, even I have been getting calls, but I want to say that there’s no political agenda involved in this. I would have campaigned for him (Danam), irrespective of the party he is in.”
Prod her on the ongoing tussle between her husband Lagadapati Rajagopal, and K.T. Rama Rao, she says, “My husband and I are not in politics, so I don’t think whatever he says should be looked in with a political agenda.”
Would she get into politics? “No! I am not interested at all.”
Interestingly, Padma’s father late P. Upendra was a Union Cabinet Minister from Telugu Desam Party.
