The Rajya Sabha elections in Telangana have triggered a buzz in political circles, with observers drawing a striking comparison between Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and late AP chief minister Y. S. Rajasekhar Reddy. What is fuelling the chatter is the speed with which Revanth managed to secure a Rajya Sabha berth for his confidant Vem Narender Reddy, who has been serving as his adviser. The Congress high command cleared Narender Reddy’s nomination in less than two-and-a-half years after Revanth became Chief Minister. The development led to comparisons with YSR’s political journey. Despite being one of the most influential Congress leaders of his time, YSR took nearly four years to persuade the party leadership to nominate his trusted aide K. V. P. Ramachandra Rao to the Rajya Sabha when he was serving as the Chief Minister’s adviser. The contrast appears even more striking because Revanth and Narender Reddy are relatively new entrants to the Congress, having joined from the Telugu Desam barely eight years ago. In contrast, YSR and KVP were lifelong Congress loyalists who spent decades rising through the party ranks. Political watchers say the episode highlights Revanth’s rapidly growing clout within the Congress.
IT dept again hits a glitch
The search for a stable face to head Telangana’s key IT and Industries department appears far from over, turning into an unusual talking point in bureaucratic circles. For nearly a decade, the department had continuity under senior IAS officer Jayesh Ranjan, who served as IT secretary through both the BRS and Congress governments. His long tenure ended last year when the state government appointed Sanjay Kumar as his successor. The transition has been anything but smooth. Sanjay Kumar lasted barely ten months before the government appointed senior bureaucrat N. Sridhar as the new IT and industries secretary. Curiously, Sridhar is yet to assume charge, sparking speculation in administrative circles. The buzz is that IT and industries minister D. Sridhar Babu is not entirely comfortable with the appointment. Officials privately cite Sridhar’s administrative style during his decade-long stint as CMD of Singareni Collieries as the reason. For now, the chair remains in waiting, adding another twist to the state’s ongoing bureaucratic shuffle.
A bit of unarmed combat in the Congress
One facet of Rahul Gandhi that came to the fore during his Bharat Jodo Yatra was his prowess in martial arts. There was almost a demonstration of his skills this last week – after all, Rahul holds a black belt in Aikido, and a blue belt in Jiu Jitsu – with a bit of skirmishing with TPCC chief Mahesh Kumar Goud, who has a black belt of his own in karate. The location was Vikarabad, and the event was the closing moments of the 10-day district party presidents meeting. This match-up was apparently suggested by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, who earlier made headlines by playing soccer legend Lionel Messi. Goud let the cat out of the bag, with a chuckle, saying it was Revanth’s idea to set up Rahul up against him in a martial arts face-off and “get me defeated. ” The friendly match-up was, however, put off as Rahul had to catch a flight but the sparring could still happen. Rahul said the duel should take place the next time Goud visits Delhi. That’s some political Jiu Jitsu that is waiting to happen.
Phase by phase power transfers fuses everyone out
A cascading effect or serial tripping? A flurry of transfers of engineers in TGSPDCL, the southern discom, following the recent transfer of IAS officers, including that of the power utility chairman and managing director Musharraf Faruqui, has had folks trying to plug into understanding what the transfers were all about. Every transfer was effected with an individual order, not bundled into a single circular, and this happened even as the new CMD took charge, leaving several wondering why the changes had occurred and the motives and if the CM and the power minister had knowledge of the changes. Even those wired into what normally happens in the power sector were left in the dark at the engineers’ transfers.
KTR trips up again, this time on Khammam
Making promises, and keeping them, are two different things altogether as these require to be grounded in reality. One such instance was BRS working president K. T. Rama Rao’s promise to those whose homes on Bhoodan land at Veligumatla village in Khammam were demolished recently, claiming that they were brought down illegally. The promise of rebuilding them once the BRS returns to power was soon followed by another, that they will also be regularised. This immediately prompted the question: Why regularise them if the structures were legal. Meanwhile, playing the smart card with full knowledge that the houses were built illegally, and that the reality was all about realty, were the left parties, the CPI, CPM, and the CPI(Marxist Leninist). They chose to stay silent on something going on in their backyard as permissions, without official clearances, were given by a left-wing frontal organisation which headed the local civic body.
Naidu switches tack, to face a fresh challenge
Demographic necessities or demagoguery? The latest announcement of financial incentives by AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu for couples wanting to have a third child is being watched with keen interest. The slew of incentives, coupled with promises of parental and paternal leaves when a third child arrives in the family, marks a new phase for Naidu who had in the 1990s championed strict family planning. The two-child norm at that time was strongly advocated and even linked to eligibility for certain local body positions. Like many policymakers of that era, Naidu believed that controlling population growth was essential to reducing poverty and improving living standards. In the three decades since, the picture, and the demography, has changed. The country is greying, and the population is predicted to fall in a few decades from now which will bring with it its own sets of problems for families in particular and the government at large. Ever the realist, Naidu has moved faster than most to address the looming crisis. While it remains to be seen whether his latest call for larger families will resonate with younger couples navigating the costs of modern life, one thing appears certain – in the politics of demography, yesterday’s solution can quickly become tomorrow’s problem. Trust Naidu to see a challenge before it grows.
Lokesh said sorry for YSRC scam. Why can’t the YSRC?
Sincere apologies have their way of soothing sentiments. As it turned out, they can also ruffle some political feathers. The case in point? The apology for adulterated ghee used in making the famous Tirupati laddu during the YSRC regime in Andhra Pradesh. Minister Nara Lokesh’s recent apology on the matter while speaking at a national forum has drawn many appreciative nods but, for the YSRC, the apology came with a sting. Questions are now making the rounds as to why the party, which was in power when the adulterated ghee was being used, has so far not said sorry to the people. Quite naturally, this has put the YSRC leadership in an awkward spot.
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