Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s sudden announcement at a press meet last week in the presence of senior ministers that hereafter issues related to the government will give briefing to the media by only two ministers leading to severe discontent among senior ministers.
The press meet was arranged to announce cabinet decision on Rs 2 lakh loan waiver. When Revanth Reddy was announcing this issue to the media, senior ministers like Uttam Kumar Reddy and Komatireddy Venkata Reddy were seen as extremely impatient. Senior ministers are angry at the chief minister’s attempt to contain them from speaking to the media. “Our Chief Minister without any prior experience as minister is trying to ride on us’ ‘, commented a senior minister.
In Revanth cabinet ministers like Tummala Nageswara Rao, Damodara Rajanarasimha, Uttamkumar Reddy, Komati Reddy Venkat Reddy, Jupalli Krishnarao, Duddilla Sridharbabu and Konda Surekha have experience of working as ministers two or more governments. Rajanarasimha was deputy chief minister earlier. Tummala worked with five chief ministers as a minister.
Senior ministers are lamenting that this reflects complete ignorance of Revanth Reddy in running a government and they did not face such humiliating situations earlier. They recalled that any decision of the government will be seen as the decisions of the Council of Ministers. All Ministers are equally responsible for the decisions taken by the Council of Ministers.
Then what is the power to reveal the government’s decisions to only two ministers Sridhar Babu and Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy?, they are asking. Moreover, Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy is the first time in the cabinet and his ministerial experience is negligible when compared to most of other ministers. The importance being accorded to Revanth Reddy to such a junior minister leading to severe discontent in the cabinet.
Moreover, the Congress party is known for ‘internal democracy’ and leaders used to enjoy more freedom to express their views then in any other party. Some senior ministers have reportedly decided to complain against the Chief Minister’s unilateral decisions, without taking the cabinet into confidence. A minister wondered whether the chief minister has no faith in his fellow ministers or he wants to prove that all the ministers are dummies in the eyes of the public?
