Cabinet berths confirmed for TDP MPs Rammohan Naidu, Dr. Pemmasani Chandrasekhar

AMARAVATI: Newly-elected Telugu Desam Party MPs Kinajarapu Rammohan Naidu (Srikakulam) and Dr. Pemmasani Chandrasekar (Guntur) will be taking oath as Central Ministers in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Sunday.

With this Rammohan Naidu will become the youngest ever Union Cabinet Minister.

Kinajarapu Rammohan Naidu

He was born on December 18 1987, in Nimmada, Srikakulam, to former TDP leader Yerran Naidu. Ram Mohan Naidu attended the prestigious Delhi Public School, RK Puram for his schooling. He pursued his undergraduate studies in Electrical Engineering from the renowned Purdue University, followed by a postgraduate degree from Long Island.

Initially drawn to a career in Singapore, fate led him back to his roots after the tragic demise of his father in a car accident in 2012. This event propelled him into the realm of politics. At the tender age of 26, he contested and won as the Lok Sabha MP from Srikakulam in 2014, making waves as the second youngest MP in the 16th Lok Sabha.

Serving as a National General Secretary to the Telugu DesamParty (TDP), he was considered one of the most loyalists to Nara Chandrababu Naidu akin to his father, Yerran Naidu.

During critical junctures such as the arrest of TDP chief Rammohan Naidu played a pivotal role alongside Nara Lokesh in Delhi. Notably, Chandrababu Naidu entrusts Ram Mohan Naidu to accompany him on all his visits to Delhi, highlighting the significance of their partnership in navigating the intricacies of national politics.

In addition to his exemplary parliamentary duties, Ram Mohan Naidu's exposure in various parliamentary committees underscores his grip over diverse subjects. He holds the post of a member on the Standing Committee on Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Food Processing. Furthermore, he serves as a member of the standing committees on Railways and Home Affairs, Consultative Committee on Ministry of Tourism and Culture, and the Committee on Welfare of Other Backward Classes and Official Language Department in the 16th Lok Sabha.

Acknowledging his outstanding contributions, he was honoured with the Sansad Ratna Award in 2020 for his extraordinary performance as an MP.

In the 18th Lok Sabha elections, he secured a resounding victory with a majority of 3.27 lakhs.

Ram Mohan Naidu has been married to Shri Sravya since 2017, and they are blessed with a baby girl in 2021. Not only is he a dedicated family man, but Ram has also broken stereotypes in politics. His decision to take paternity leave during the 2021 budget sessions for his wife's pregnancy sparked healthy discussions on gender rights and education. He is one of the first MPs to advocate for menstrual health education and sex education in parliament and has actively campaigned for the removal of GST on sanitary pads.

Comparative legacy:

In a remarkable twist of history, Ram Mohan Naidu follows in the footsteps of his father, Yerran Naidu, who was the youngest Cabinet Minister in 1996.

Now, in 2024, Ram Mohan Naidu is set to break his father's record by becoming the youngest Cabinet Minister in the NDA coalition, continuing a legacy of youthful leadership and dynamic public service.

Dr. Chandrasekhar Pemmasani

A medical doctor by profession the Guntur MP was born on March 7, 1976, in Burripalem, Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh to Sambasiva Rao Pemmasani and Suvarchala Pemmasani. He is married to Sri Ratna Koneru and blessed with two children Abhinav Pemmasani and Sahasra Pemmasani. Chandrasekhar won the Guntur Lok Sabha constituency as a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) candidate.

Chandrasekhar belongs to an agricultural family. He has a brother named Ravi Shankar Pemmasani. Being born into a middle-class family, Chandrashekar led a simple life from childhood. Although he was born in Burripalem, he spent some time in his childhood in Narasaraopet because of his father's hotel business.

He completed his 10th standard in 1991 and intermediate in 1993. With aspirations to become a doctor, he secured 27th rank in the EAMCET in 1993–94 and obtained a seat at Osmania Medical College in Hyderabad. At that time, many people praised him for getting such a good rank besides studying in Telugu medium.

He finished his Post Graduate training in internal medicine at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania, USA, and aced most of his board exams. In the course of his postgraduate training, he served as the representative of Pennsylvania in a national medical knowledge competition for two consecutive years. Subsequently, he served as an attending physician at Johns Hopkins University – Sinai Hospital for approximately five years, dedicating his efforts to the instruction of residents and medical students.

He served as the founder and CEO of UWorld. At the age of 25, he established USMLEWorld, later rebranded as UWorld. Originating from a university dormitory, this initiative has since evolved into a prominent educational entity that has empowered countless students to realize their academic and professional aspirations.

In addition to its medical offerings, UWorld has expanded its portfolio to encompass resources in accounting, finance, graduate studies, high school education, nursing, and pharmacy, with ongoing development of additional products.

Dr. Pemmasani has dedicated his time to serving at a no-cost medical clinic, extending healthcare assistance to uninsured or underinsured individuals within the Indian community situated in Dallas.

Moreover, in India, he contributed to the provision of free and potable water to residents of the Palnadu region for a period exceeding ten years, within the Guntur district, and generously offered land for the establishment of a communal facility in his paternal village. He further facilitated educational support for numerous children and adults and has contributed charitably to local community entities.

Political career

Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani's father, Sambasivarao, was fond of N.T. Rama Rao. Due to this connection, he joined the Telugu Desam Party. He later served as the Deputy Chairman of Narasaraopet town. Following his father's involvement in politics, Chandra Sekhar also joined the same party.

In 2014 and 2019, Chandra Sekhar attempted to secure a Narasaraopet Lok Sabha ticket from the Telugu Desam Party. However, due to the opportunity given to the former Indian National Congress leader, Rayapati Sambasiva Rao, he withdrew for a considerable period.

He ran in the 2024 Indian general election from the Guntur Lok Sabha constituency as a Telugu Desam Party candidate, and won with 3,44,695 votes, succeeding former member Galla Jayadev who had announced he was taking a break from politics in January 2024.