Defectors in the cabinet: Chandrababu doesn't practise what he preaches!
Hyderabad, April.3: The rule "practice what you preach" seems to find no place in the "ethics book" of AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu as is evident after he inducted four defectors from other parties into his ministry, which he expanded on Sunday.
Chandrababu Naidu expanded his 20-member cabinet for the first time in two-and-a-half years mainly to ensure a berth for his son Nara Lokesh for which he has been working diligently all these years. After making sure of his son getting elected as an MLC, he took the next obvious step to induct him in his cabinet on Sunday. He claimed that he was reshuffling his ministry to weed out some deadwood besides giving an opportunity to a few new faces.
As per his well-scripted plan, Chandrababu Naidu dropped five members from his cabinet. He expanded the cabinet by inducting 11 new members, including five in the place of those dropped. Among those inducted in his new ministry were four members, who had defected from YSR Congress Party. They are: Sujaya Krishna Ranga Rao, Amarnath Reddy, Adinarayana Reddy and Bhuma Akhila Priya. Though he dropped two women ministers from his earlier cabinet, he inducted only one woman-- Akhila Priya -- during the rejig. What is intriguing is that in his 26-member Cabinet, there was not a single Muslim minority.
Chandrababu Naidu claimed that the reshuffle and expansion exercise of his cabinet was mainly with an objective of getting prepared and winning the elections in the year 2019, one cannot ignore the fact that his hidden agenda was to elevate his son Nara Lokesh as an heir apparent for his political legacy. There is no denial of the fact that the TDP supremo was trying to emulate his counterpart K. Chandrasekhar Rao in the neighboring Telangana State. Like KCR, who was grooming his son K.T. Rama Rao as his heir- pparent by entrusting him with important portfolios like IT and Municipal Administration, even Chandrababu Naidu seemed to be keen on allotting to his son crucial ministries like IT and Panchayat Raj.
What has come as a big shock was that Chandrababu Naidu, who made a hue and cry over Telangana Chief Minister KCR inducting Talasani Srinivas Yadav, who had defected from Telugu Desam in the TRS Ministry, has himself audaciously inducted four defectors from YSR Congress Party in his cabinet. It is pertinent to recall here how Chandrababu Naidu accused even Governor ESL Narasimhan of administering oath of office to Srinivas Yadav, who had not resigned from the TDP and continued to remain a TDP member. He even charged the Telangana Assembly Speaker of unethical practices of not disqualifying Srinivas Yadav under the Anti-Defection Law and allowing to be even inducted into the TRS ministry. What is more, Chandrababu Naidu even tried to move heaven and earth in New Delhi accusing KCR of practicing undemocratic and unconstitutional and unethical practices.
And surprisingly the same Chandrababu Naidu, who talked about ethics in politics, seemed to have conveniently forgotten his own preaching to his political opponents of the neighboring State and unabashedly inducting as many as four defectors into his ministry ostensibly on the plea that all is fair in love and war. But his actions have definitely not gone well within his own party as many senior TDP leaders have started to revolt against him.
Already disgruntlement started brewing in various districts across Andhra Pradesh. Bojjala Gopalakrishna Reddy, a senor leader, who has been in the TDP since inception, hoisted the flag of revolt against Chanrababu Naidu by resigning from the party as well as his MLA post for being unceremoniously dropped from the cabinet. Many other senior leaders, including Gorantla Butchiah Chowdhary, the party's General Secretary, Bonda Umamaheshwar Rao and many other leaders at district level have begun quitting the party. Even the Muslim minorities in the State are upset with the Chief Minister for not inducting a single member of the community in the cabinet. They alleged that the Chief Minister seemed to be "saffronizing" the State under the influence of BJP with which the TDP is an alliance partner both at the Centre as well as in the State.
Chandrababu Naidu's action of inducting the four defectors from the YSR Congress Party also received flak from his own erstwhile minister and party leader Srinivas Yadav, now a minister in the KCR's TRS Government. Srinivas Yadav ridiculed and lambasted Chandrababu Naidu of talking about unconstitutional and undemocratic practices and preaching political ethics when he himself had inducted defectors into this ministry. The AP Chief Minister also became a target in this regard from the Congress and even the Left parties. Thus, the AP Chief Minister seems to have conveniently forgotten what he tried to preach to his political opponents.
Chandrababu Naidu expanded his 20-member cabinet for the first time in two-and-a-half years mainly to ensure a berth for his son Nara Lokesh for which he has been working diligently all these years. After making sure of his son getting elected as an MLC, he took the next obvious step to induct him in his cabinet on Sunday. He claimed that he was reshuffling his ministry to weed out some deadwood besides giving an opportunity to a few new faces.
As per his well-scripted plan, Chandrababu Naidu dropped five members from his cabinet. He expanded the cabinet by inducting 11 new members, including five in the place of those dropped. Among those inducted in his new ministry were four members, who had defected from YSR Congress Party. They are: Sujaya Krishna Ranga Rao, Amarnath Reddy, Adinarayana Reddy and Bhuma Akhila Priya. Though he dropped two women ministers from his earlier cabinet, he inducted only one woman-- Akhila Priya -- during the rejig. What is intriguing is that in his 26-member Cabinet, there was not a single Muslim minority.
Chandrababu Naidu claimed that the reshuffle and expansion exercise of his cabinet was mainly with an objective of getting prepared and winning the elections in the year 2019, one cannot ignore the fact that his hidden agenda was to elevate his son Nara Lokesh as an heir apparent for his political legacy. There is no denial of the fact that the TDP supremo was trying to emulate his counterpart K. Chandrasekhar Rao in the neighboring Telangana State. Like KCR, who was grooming his son K.T. Rama Rao as his heir- pparent by entrusting him with important portfolios like IT and Municipal Administration, even Chandrababu Naidu seemed to be keen on allotting to his son crucial ministries like IT and Panchayat Raj.
What has come as a big shock was that Chandrababu Naidu, who made a hue and cry over Telangana Chief Minister KCR inducting Talasani Srinivas Yadav, who had defected from Telugu Desam in the TRS Ministry, has himself audaciously inducted four defectors from YSR Congress Party in his cabinet. It is pertinent to recall here how Chandrababu Naidu accused even Governor ESL Narasimhan of administering oath of office to Srinivas Yadav, who had not resigned from the TDP and continued to remain a TDP member. He even charged the Telangana Assembly Speaker of unethical practices of not disqualifying Srinivas Yadav under the Anti-Defection Law and allowing to be even inducted into the TRS ministry. What is more, Chandrababu Naidu even tried to move heaven and earth in New Delhi accusing KCR of practicing undemocratic and unconstitutional and unethical practices.
And surprisingly the same Chandrababu Naidu, who talked about ethics in politics, seemed to have conveniently forgotten his own preaching to his political opponents of the neighboring State and unabashedly inducting as many as four defectors into his ministry ostensibly on the plea that all is fair in love and war. But his actions have definitely not gone well within his own party as many senior TDP leaders have started to revolt against him.
Already disgruntlement started brewing in various districts across Andhra Pradesh. Bojjala Gopalakrishna Reddy, a senor leader, who has been in the TDP since inception, hoisted the flag of revolt against Chanrababu Naidu by resigning from the party as well as his MLA post for being unceremoniously dropped from the cabinet. Many other senior leaders, including Gorantla Butchiah Chowdhary, the party's General Secretary, Bonda Umamaheshwar Rao and many other leaders at district level have begun quitting the party. Even the Muslim minorities in the State are upset with the Chief Minister for not inducting a single member of the community in the cabinet. They alleged that the Chief Minister seemed to be "saffronizing" the State under the influence of BJP with which the TDP is an alliance partner both at the Centre as well as in the State.
Chandrababu Naidu's action of inducting the four defectors from the YSR Congress Party also received flak from his own erstwhile minister and party leader Srinivas Yadav, now a minister in the KCR's TRS Government. Srinivas Yadav ridiculed and lambasted Chandrababu Naidu of talking about unconstitutional and undemocratic practices and preaching political ethics when he himself had inducted defectors into this ministry. The AP Chief Minister also became a target in this regard from the Congress and even the Left parties. Thus, the AP Chief Minister seems to have conveniently forgotten what he tried to preach to his political opponents.