This cabinet expansion postponement drama has been dragged out so many times that the hopeful MLAs have lost count.
Published Apr 10, 2025 | 3:45 PM ⚊ Updated Apr 10, 2025 | 3:45 PM
The Telangana ministers after taking their oath. (X)
Synopsis: Even though the Congress high command and the Telangana leadership have assured a Cabinet expansion in the state, the process has been delayed like a never-ending Telugu television serial.
In the Deccan plateau of Telangana, the Congress party’s cabinet expansion is becoming more like a shimmering mirage, attracting herds of thirsty Congress deer.
They see the reflections of palm trees swaying in the cool, non-existent waters of a ministerial oasis and continue running. However, no matter how fast these thirsty stags sprint, the mirage just moves further away, leaving them fretting and fuming.
This cabinet expansion postponement drama has been dragged out so many times that the hopeful MLAs have lost count.
The party high command plays its usual game: Summoning Hyderabad’s bigwigs — the chief minister, the PCC president, and the assorted hangers-on — for confabulations. The party elders nod, take “inputs,” and then turn into Buddhist monks, not saying a word.
The result? Zilch. A big, fat ministerial goose egg or the Congress’ favourite donkey’s egg which they had showed to the people during the elections to to deflate the claims of the BRS and the BJP.
These Congress leaders live in a fantasy where they’re already strutting and sashaying around their constituencies, as though they had found a berth in the cabinet.
However, the reality is harsh. Every time the high command drops a “this time it’s pucca” hint, their blood pressure shoots up. And when the inevitable “nothing” happens, down it crashes, leaving them clutching their chests and probably popping BP pills into their mouths like they are candy.
The Cabinet expansion has become similar to the never-ending Telugu television Telugu serials. The latest episode had some juicy dates. First, they whispered, “Ugadi’s the day!” but Ugadi came and went. Then, another leak: “3 April, for sure!” But the same awkward silence again. By now, these poor souls have become accustomed to Pavlovian reflex actions. They sit bolt upright and look at Delhi each time a teaser is let out and then feel like a bull in a China shop later.
Party leaders, ever the wise-after-the-event gurus, morph into political pundits.
“Oh, the expansion didn’t happen because of this or that,” they muse, stroking their chins. They are the political equivalents of a stock market analyst shrugging, “Yeah, that stock I swore by, has tanked and here’s why!…”
However, The fact is: Nobody knows. Neither the stock market prophets, nor the high-command watchers. It’s all a cosmic coin toss. The coin stuck mid-air does not come down, and nobody is calling heads or tails.
Meanwhile, the MLAs swing wildly between hope and despair, their emotional roller-coaster sapping them of their energy. This time, the Congress “experts” pinned the delay on a fresh batch of demands: “We need STs! Madigas from SCs! Oh, and Congress warhorse K Jana Reddy’s threw up a piece of advice —Rangareddy needs a seat at the table!”
Impaled on the horns of the dilemma, the high command stared at this Gordian knot and did what any indecisive soul does best: Absolutely nothing. Let it fester, boys, let it fester.
So here we are, with Congress hopefuls gazing longingly beyond the Vindhyas, scanning the horizon for any sign of their ministerial Messiah appearing. They know deep down in their hearts that it is an eternal wait — like queuing for biryani that never gets cooked — but hope is a stubborn little gremlin, causing trouble and messing things up.
It keeps them trotting after the ministerial mirage, while the rest of us grab popcorn and watch Telangana’s funniest political sitcom on TV as it unfolds.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
