Disturbed by the alleged secret meeting by over 10 party MLAs in rebellion, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy held an emergency cabinet meeting at the Command Control Center in Hyderabad on Saturday evening. The ministers, who were busy with their district tours, canceled their official programs and rushed to Hyderabad.
Although the CM’s office announced that the agenda of the program was to discuss the central budget, it seems that the reasons that led to the MLAs’ rebellion were discussed at length. It is learned that the Chief Minister expressed his impatience that the gap between the in-charge ministers and local MLAs in the districts is increasing day by day.
The MLC elections are expected to be held soon, followed by local body elections, the government is planning to hold them. Moreover, the opposition is stating the MLCs as a referendum on Congress rule. He advised the minister to work together with MLAs. The ministers have reportedly instructed to appease the disgruntled MLAs and include them.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has reportedly in a strong voice said that he has the details of the participants in the dinner held on Friday night, and that some MLAs who cannot go out to the public are doing politics in groups. In this context, the ministers have brought some issues to the attention of the CM.
It is learnt that some ministers have informed the CM that the MLAs in the party have been raising their voices of protest since the Gram Sabhas were held in January and that the MLAs are objecting to the district in-charge ministers being given discretionary powers in the selection of beneficiaries of welfare schemes.
Some other ministers have brought it to the CM’s attention that MLAs are asking for funds for the constituencies on par with the ministers. They have also mentioned that the MLAs are deeply unhappy with the fact that the Constituency Special Development Fund (CSDF) has not been released even after a year of coming to power.
Despite the fact that the MLAs secret meeting was true, the Congress party is now trying to justify the meeting by saying that they met as a group to ask the Chief Minister for development works in the constituencies as the local body elections are approaching.
Party sources confirm that Anirudh Reddy, the MLA from the joint Mahabubnagar district, called some of his fellow MLAs from the party on Friday and invited them to the dinner. However, the party now stated that they met only to go to the Chief Minister in a group seeking sufficient funds for their constituencies.
Nagarkurnool MP Dr. Mallu Ravi clarified that although the meeting of Congress MLAs took place, it was on the occasion of the dinner. He said that only 8 MLAs met at the dinner, not 10. Mallu also revealed that the dinner was held at the Kohinoor Hotel in Hyderabad. He questioned whether it was wrong for Congress MLAs to have dinner together?
On the other hand, it is known that more MLAs are joining hands with the rebel MLAs from Nalgonda and Palamuru, who met on Friday night. The rebellion has reportedly begun targeting the minister who claims to be the number-2 in the state government.
It is said that the rebel MLAs have decided to speak out to save the party, not to back down until those who come with crores of rupees and want to turn politics into a business are expelled from the party, and to meet Rahul Gandhi and file a complaint soon.
