Setback for CM, PCC Chief

NO EXPANSION OF KIRAN CABINET, PRP PUT ON WAIT LIST
New Delhi/Hyderabad, December 30:The Congress High Command seems to have put the spanner in the wheel for the expansion of the Kiran Kumar Reddy government in Andhra Pradesh for the time being.
During his meeting with the AICC President Mrs. Sonia Gandhi on Friday morning, the Chief Minister sought permission for reshuffle and revamp of his ministry, instead of just inducting two PRP MLAs as was being pressurized by the actor-turned-politician Mr. Chiranjeevi as a reward for merging his party with the Congress.
The Chief Minister is understood to have explained to the AICC President the problems he would encounter if only two PRP MLAs are inducted, ignoring the hopes and aspirations of many a senior Congress leader. He seemed to have also brought to her notice the pinpricks being caused by some of his ministers like the Minister for Transport Mr. Botcha Satyanarayana, who is also the PCC President and Dr. P. Shankar Rao, the Minister for Textiles.
Stressing on the imperative need for giving him a free hand in embarking on a major reshuffle and expansion in order to have his own team, Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy is understood to have explained in detail the political scenario, the issue of rewarding only some confidants of Mr. Chiranjeevi, and the impact on the ensuing by-elections etc.
Informed sources disclosed that the AICC President, after a patient hearing, had advised the Chief Minister that the proposed expansion of his ministry could wait at least till the coming elections are over. Thus the much talked about and publicized induction of two PRP MLAs in the cabinet, as was being demanded by Mr. Chiranjeevi and supported by the APCC President, has also been put on hold for the time being. The Chief Minister, who is engaged in a political one-upmanship game with the APCC President, though disappointed at not getting the nod for reshuffle and expansion of his ministry, seemed to be silently gloating about scoring a point over Mr. Botcha Satyanarayana in stalling the induction of the PRP MLAs.
It is an open secret that the Chief Minister wants to reshuffle his cabinet in a bid to get rid of some of his adversaries in the ministry like Mr. Satyanarayana, Dr. Shankar Rao and few others, and pack the cabinet with his own loyalists. This in a way had boomeranged. The only solace for him was that the PCC President’s game plan to induct PRP MLAs also went topsy turvy.
Before meeting the AICC President, the Chief Minister had another round of talks with AICC General Secretary Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad and the Political Advisor to the AICC Chief Mr. Ahmed Patel. Later all the three called on Mrs. Sonia Gandhi. After spending about 30 minutes with the AICC President, the Chief Minister left for the AP Bhavan without talking to the waiting media personnel.
However both Mr. Azad and Mr. Patel during their brief chat with the media said the issue of the state cabinet expansion has not figured in the meeting between the Chief Minister and the AICC President. Other issues like the present political situation, the ensuing by-elections, etc were discussed, they observed and left without giving scope for further probing questions from the media.
Putting on hold the induction of two PRP MLAs by deferring the expansion of the state cabinet would undoubtedly cause further heart-burn for Mr. Chiranjeevi and his MLAs. Will the inordinate delay in receiving the promised reward for agreeing to merge the PRP with the Congress make Mr. Chiranjeevi and company to consider revival of the party as threatened would only be unfolded in the coming days. (NSS).