Telangana Cabinet Expanded, three new ministers take oath
The current cabinet composition reflects a mix of social groups, including four members from the Reddy community, four Scheduled Castes (SCs), three Backward Classes (BCs), and one each from the Velama, Brahmin, Kamma, and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities.
Meanwhile, reports suggest that another cabinet expansion may be on the horizon, with many aspirants vying for a chance to join the ranks of ministers.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
2 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Congress flags concern over women's safety in BJP states, seeks fast-track courts to deal with cases
Lamba also pointed out that during the Assembly session in Madhya Pradesh, Congress MLA Arif Masood asked how many SC-ST women were raped in the state from 2022 to 2024, and the answer was 7,418. "A girl from Odisha died. Earlier, a girl studying in Fakir Mohan College alleged sexual harassment but did not get justice. She set herself on fire. That girl died in Bhubaneswar and now a 15-year-old girl has died in AIIMS Delhi," Lamba said. In the name of religion in Chhattisgarh, "police arrested our sisters associated with Christian missionaries," she said. "Today, we are once again ashamed. In Ahmedabad, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a shameful poster has been put up by the traffic police, which states that daughters in Gujarat should not go out of their homes. If they go out and go to a party at night, they can be raped," the Congress leader said, as she showed a photograph of the poster. "Now I come to the case of Karnataka. Prajwal Revanna from Hassan has been convicted of rape. You know that Prajwal Revanna is a mass rapist... Prime Minister Narendra Modi had campaigned for him and sought votes," Lamba said. "But today I feel proud to tell you that Rahul Gandhi ji took this issue seriously, and told the Congress government in Karnataka not to come under any pressure because Prajwal Ravanna has the support of two prime ministers... one former and the current. Revanna has now been sentenced to life imprisonment," she added. Women's safety remains a serious issue in the country and that is why Mahila Congress will continue its 'Nyay March', Lamba said. "Police are trying to crush the demand for justice but we are not going to stop. Mahila Congress has decided to ensure justice for the victims and punishment for the culprits. Our demands are -- victims' families must be given security and proper compensation, and cases related to women's safety should be tried in fast-track courts and justice be given to the victims," she said.
Hans India
10 hours ago
- Hans India
A rare blend of legal wisdom and Sanatana Dharma
After ten years in office under Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (a beacon of philosophical insight), two years under VV Giri, three years under R Venkataraman and five years under Shankar Dayal Sharma, the last Brahmin to hold the post, strangely not a single Brahmin was ever considered for this august office in the last 33 years! Representingthe Center for Brahmin Excellence (CBE) along with four other members (Harkara Srinivasa Rao, Cheruvu Rambabu, Sesha RSR Prasada Kondapalli, and Vijay Oddiraju), I had the privilege of spending an enriching 45 minutes on July 27, over a thoughtful interaction, with the distinguished legal luminary and former Supreme Court judge, Justice V Ramasubramanian. The Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) exemplifies the ideal blend of intellect, integrity and public service. Justice Ramasubramanian's humility, sincerity, and measured wisdom left a deep impression on us. As we entered his hotel room, he initiated the conversation, by warmly acknowledging my blog post (Why not the next vice-president be a Brahmin), which insightfully addressed the question of Vice-Presidential candidacy for the Brahmin community in the ensuing election. The NHRC team while in Hyderabad, conducted a two-day (July 28 and 29) open hearing at Dr MCR HRD Institute, to address cases of human rights violations in Telangana. Justice Ramasubramanian not only shared a couple of heart touching personal anecdotes that included as to how he stood at the financial crossroads immediately after his retirement, but also narrated how he had witnessed the divine miracles of God. He reflected on how he made a conscious decision to live within his own means after retirement. The result of his leaning on faith eventually culminated in his elevation as NHRC Chairperson. He credited this particularly phase to divine grace. All these reflected his deep commitment to self-reliance and simplicity, grounded in the values of dharma. Reflecting on the larger forces at play in human life, he spoke of the power of punya (virtue) accumulated by the ancestors. The virtuous deeds of forebears, he explained, can manifest as blessings to the future generations, bringing strength to the mind, body, and fortune. Justice Ramasubramanian also shared briefly significant parts of his speech at the felicitation function of spiritual teacher Samavedam Shanmukha Sharma, with rare frankness about spiritual matters that weigh heavily on sincere seekers of truth. He explicitly expressed his concern on many of his contemporaries, who had gradually drifted away from the path of dharma-an individual's moral responsibilities or duties. 'The pursuit of material survival had eclipsed the pursuit of spiritual truth. In their preoccupation with worldly obligations and economic anxieties, many had consciously or unconsciously abandoned their dharmic duties and inner disciplines. It was not just a matter of individual choices but a collective forgetting, a civilizational forgetfulness creeping in, even among those who once stood close to the fire of wisdom', he opined. According to Justice Ramasubramanian, it is time to take stock of how the cultural transmission chain has weakened. For instance, he cited that, in the pursuit of modern life, practices such as daily prayers or frequent visits to temples have slipped away. He called for a quiet but determined revival of such traditions, so that that the subsequent generations could rediscover spiritual identity. He made a genuine appeal to every Hindu household that children must be introduced to dharma early and intimately. Every parent, he said, should ensure that their children should be guided in simple daily prayers by making them stand before the image of God at home, reciting at least one shloka, and be taken to temples regularly, not as a ritual formality, but as a formative spiritual experience. Such seemingly small acts 'shape the soul and anchor one's life in the eternal values of Indian tradition'. With intellectual precision and spiritual depth, he brought in the example of Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev, referencing him not as a celebrity Guru but as a contemporary voice speaking to the timeless wisdom of the vedas. In yet another spiritual narrative that transitioned seamlessly to a subject visibly close to his heart, and also that blended theology with environmental consciousness, He revealed the birth and mission of Adi Shankaracharya, and said that 'Lord Shiva himself incarnated as Adi Shankaracharya' to restore cosmic balance. He noted that during the cessation of Vedic Rituals such as Homas by some, ecological and spiritual disequilibrium emerged. With the advent of Shankara's divine mission, this was realigned. Depicting it as divine mystery, he presented an evidence-based elucidation that it was a cosmic essentiality. Justice Ramasubramanian differed with unfair tendencies of rationalism, where sacred symbols are stripped of meaning and turned into academic curiosities, without substantiating aptly. He affirmed that, precisely in such times of decline and distortion, the divine intervenes through Avatars or Incarnations. The birth of Adi Shankaracharya, was one such divine intervention. He further elaborated how God Agni together with Lord Shiva incarnated as Adi Shankara, to revive the flameof Sanatana Dharma when it was flickering dangerously low. He said that sacred intervention, preserved, rearticulated, and re-anchored the eternal path in the consciousness of Bharata. In one of the most compelling parts of his talk, he traced the symbolic and metaphysical cycle of divinities, Agni, Varuna, Indra, Soma, Vayu and Surya, who in the Vedic pantheon are part of a larger network of vedic Gods representing various aspects of the cosmos and human existence. Ignoring their significance, by dismissing the Vedas, amounts to intellectual arrogance and spiritual blindness, he cautioned. We, the five CBE members, presented the vision, goals, and ongoing initiatives of the organization, right from its conceiving, launching, civil services advocacy program, proactive role in several ways etc. Justice Ramasubramanian appreciated the effort and acknowledged the significant decline in Brahmin representation, particularly of south Indian Brahmins, in national policy and administrative roles. He acclaimed CBE efforts that seek to reverse this trend. In this framework, it may not be out of context if the subject the ensuing Vice-President election is discussed. After ten years in office under Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (a beacon of philosophical insight), two years under VV Giri, three years under R Venkataraman and five years under Shankar Dayal Sharma, the last Brahmin to hold the post, strangely not a single Brahmin was ever considered for this august office in the last 33 years! The reasons may be political, apolitical, or shaped by evolving democratic factors. While democracy rightly celebrates diversity, the legacy of Brahmin leadership merits serious reflection. Selection of a Brahmin for the V-P post carries subtle, yet profound, advantages in India's pluralistic democracy. It can restore long-overdue balance and reaffirm the country's commitment to diversity in leadership and inclusive constitutional values. Despite representing dispersed and non-dominant community, Brahmins have contributed significantly in education, constitution, law, spiritual, civil services, and science, among others but the number is on the decline. The multifaceted Justice V Ramasubramanian stands as an exemplary Vice-President candidate. He brings to public life a rare combination of legal wisdom and Sanatana Dharma. The interaction was a momentous occasion for me as I could present my Telugu book 'Sajiva Vahini sanatana Dharmam' to Justice Ramasubramanian.
New Indian Express
11 hours ago
- New Indian Express
I'm frail, but I want to continue writing: M K Sanoo
KOCHI: Despite suffering from age-related difficulties, M K Sanoo was keen to continue writing. And he was working on a book on Ananda Theerthar, a prominent disciple of Sree Narayana Guru. 'I am handicapped by age. But I have some pending work. A book on Ananda Theerthar is in the works. Though he was born a Brahmin he fought against caste discrimination. The younger generations must know about his struggles. I am searching for a youngster with a taste in Malayalam literature to complete the work,' Sanoo said during an interaction with TNIE on June 24. The demise of his wife N Retnamma in 2023 came as a big shock for Sanoo. They were married for nearly 70 years. 'I feel lonely. She was the strength of my life,' he had said. Ratnamma was the daughter of V Madhavan, the former health minister of Travancore-Cochin state. But Sanoo insisted on avoiding extravagance. Union minister K N Katju, state ministers Panampilly Govinda Menon, A J John, and T M Varghese attended the wedding. 'We served the guests tea and idli,' Sanoo said in an interview to TNIE last year. 'I joined Maharaja's College in 1977. We had a galaxy of eminent professors including M Krishnan Nair, M K Sanu, and M Leelavathi. That was the golden age of Maharaja's. Though a liberal, Sanoo Master was not associated with the leftist movement at the time. But when the college decided to introduce a shift system he opposed it. When he contested the assembly election, former students and artists from across the state came to Kochi to campaign for him,' recounted publisher CICC Jayachandran.
