The Telangana cabinet has been split in two over the affairs of Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, the Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s support for him, and the Konda Surekha incident.They have expressed strong objections in the cabinet meeting held on Thursday to the awarding of all contracts to Raghava Construction, which belongs to Ponguleti’s family.
With this, the cabinet agenda was sidelined. As soon as the discussion on 42 percent BC reservation started, Minister Ponnam Prabhakar objected to sending police to Konda Surekha’s house at midnight. He deplored that the BCs were protesting that they were being politically wronged and asked why the BC minister was being targeted?
He cautioned that moreover the news that she will be dismissed from the cabinet, that her protocol will be removed, and that her security has been reduced has led to a huge debate in the BCs. He warned that such things will bring a bad name to the government, that the police high-ranking officials should act with restraint, and that it is not right to misbehave with the minister.
Minister Ponnam Prabhakar has deplored in the cabinet that why the PA, CS, OSD and support staff of the ministers were not given minimum information while being removed? If we act like this against a minister in our own government, he deplored that it will be like giving a weapon to the opposition, which will further infuriate them.
Prabhakar said that the BC Bill was not approved, the reservation issue in the local elections was not resolved, and in addition, such allegations and attacks on BC ministers were not justified, and it is known that the BC ministers supported him. He was also angry that the records related to the Medaram Jatara were handed over to the R&B department most urgently.
Deputy Chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka, who intervened while Prabhakar was speaking, is reported to have expressed his concern that the Mission Bhagiratha scheme has become a scheme without public benefit. He asked why it was taking a decision to hand over three more tasks to Raghava Water Works in the same Mission Bhagiratha works?
Bhatti Vikramarka has expressed his deep dissatisfaction that Rs 900 crores are being paid and all the money in the state treasury is going to his company and the people he has nominated. But, he wondered that none of the contract works assigned to Raghava’s company have started, yet hundreds of crores of rupees are being assigned in the name of mobilization and advances, which is not an excuse at all.
