The chief minister said the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) executive formation is nearly complete, with an announcement expected soon. He emphasised following party instructions in governance and legal processes
Published Feb 08, 2025 | 11:21 AM ⚊ Updated Feb 08, 2025 | 11:21 AM
Revanth Reddy hints at further delay in cabinet expansion, says no gap between him and Rahul Gandhi (X)
Synopsis: Telangana CM A Revanth Reddy hinted that cabinet expansion may take time, as the party high command will make the final decision. He dismissed reports of a rift with Rahul Gandhi and confirmed ongoing cabinet discussions. The TPCC executive formation is nearly complete, with an announcement expected soon. Reddy emphasised following party instructions in governance and legal processes
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has dropped a subtle hint that cabinet expansion may take some more time.
The chief minister, during an informal interaction with reporters in Delhi on Friday, 7 February, said it is the party high command that has to take a final decision on cabinet expansion, implying that the time has not yet come for filling the vacant berths in his cabinet.
He dismissed the reports that a gap has recently developed between him and the party’s top brass, Rahul Gandhi, as baseless. He said there was no gap and that he has been in touch with Gandhi all this time. He pointed out that he did not seek an appointment with Rahul Gandhi during this trip and that he had not recommended any names to anyone in the high command for inclusion in the cabinet. He said the exercise for the expansion of the cabinet was ongoing.
The chief minister revealed that the constitution of the executive for the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) is almost complete, and an announcement would be made in a couple of days.
He stated that there is no need for hasty action to imprison opposition leaders. The government will follow legal procedures, he clarified, referring to the Formula E Race case, where BRS working president KT Rama Rao is the main accused.
The chief minister stated that all major decisions to be taken at the state level would have to be vetted by the party first. The party is aware of what should be done and when. His job is to act in accordance with the instructions of the party. There is no scope for any individual decisions in governance, he pointed out.
The chief minister described the caste census his government had released as the most accurate and true representation of the caste composition in the state. He said the BC population has, in fact, risen from what it used to be in the past. Their increase was about 5.5 percent, the chief minister said.
His non-committal response to cabinet expansion should come as the most dampening development for the aspirants. They were under the impression that the party would give clearance for filling the six of the 18 berths that have been lying vacant for a long time. Each time Revanth Reddy went to Delhi, the speculation mill used to work overtime, suggesting that cabinet expansion was on the cards, but it has remained a will-o’-the-wisp until now.
Party leaders say that the cabinet should have at least one Muslim member, but at present, there is none, since no Muslim was elected to the Assembly on a Congress ticket. However, there is one in the Legislative Council, Amer Ali Khan, who is waiting for the golden hour to arrive.
There are aspirants who hope to make it to the cabinet through the Legislative Council route. They include former minister Md Ali Shabber and Feroz Khan, who narrowly lost to AIMIM’s Md Majid Hussain from Nampally in the Assembly elections by a margin of 2,037 votes.
There are other tangles that the party has not been able to sort out so far in picking MLAs for inclusion in the cabinet. For instance, from Nalgonda, there are two ministers—Komatireddy Venkat Reddy and N Uttam Kumar Reddy. But Venkat Reddy’s brother, Rajagopal Reddy, has been waiting to join the chief minister’s team, as it was a promise the Congress had made to him while persuading him to return to the party from the BJP ahead of the Assembly elections. If he is taken into the cabinet, the count from Nalgonda district will increase to three, while there are districts that have no representation at all, such as Nizamabad, Hyderabad, Rangareddy, and Adilabad.
The only silver lining is that the PCC will soon have a new executive. Party General Secretary KC Venugopal held elaborate talks with the chief minister, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, PCC President B Mahesh Kumar Goud, and other important leaders from the state.
As the top post has already been filled, the PCC’s executive is expected to have at least four working presidents. The party appears to be thinking of ensuring caste balance while making appointments to the posts. These posts may go to one each from the Madiga, Muslim, Lambadi, and Reddy communities. The number of vice presidents might go up to 20.
(Edited by Ananya Rao)
