Hyderabad, March 26: First-time Congress legislators are seeking a share of posts in the State Cabinet likley to be expanded next month. They have accordingly prepared a memorandum to be submitted to Chief Minister K Rosaiah.
According to sources, the exercise is seen as an orchestrated move to pave the way for the induction of chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s widow, YS Vijayalaxmi, herself a firsttime legislator.
Generally, lack of experience has been cited as a reason for keeping first-timers out of the Cabinet.
On Thursday, about 50 legislators signed the memorandum which is to be submitted to the chief minister in the next two days. In their memorandum, the first-timers hailed Rosaiah for permitting them to have an office in their constituency headquarters and for giving them Rs 1 crore each for the development of their constituencies.
In their submission to the chief minister, they will point out: “Though we have been elected for the first time to the Assembly, there are many of us who have been in public life for a long time.
We want you to give an opportunity to some of us to serve you in the Cabinet.’’ They also urged Rosaiah to nominate some of them as chairpersons to corporations or assign them posts in the Congress Legislature Party.
There are 74 first-time legislators in the Congress and sources say they are demanding 10 per cent (that is, 7) posts in the Cabinet.
–Agencies