Vivek gets Labour, Mining
Hyderabad: After a grueling discussion with the Congress high command for two days, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy allotted portfolios to the newly inducted ministers on Wednesday night.
Senior leader and Chennur MLA G Vivek Venkatswamy was given the portfolios of Labour, Employment, Training and Factories and Mining Mines and Geology. Adluri Laxman Kumar, who was elected from Dharmapuri Assembly Constituency, would look after SC, ST, Minority Welfare and Department for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Senior Citizens and Transgender Persons. Earlier, the Chief Minister was holding all welfare portfolios and also Labour and Employment. Makthal MLA Vakiti Srihari will be the Minister of Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries and Sports and Youth Services. An official notification was issued to this effect. The portfolios of the old ministers remain unchanged.
Prior to this announcement, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, who returned to Hyderabad after a three-day visit to New Delhi, had a meeting with Chief Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao and finalised the portfolios for the new ministers.
News is abuzz that the three ministers will be taking charge on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister held an informal media interaction in New Delhi before taking the flight back to Hyderabad. Responding to questions, he clarified that there was no discussion in Delhi on the expansion of the state Cabinet. He maintained that the focus of the meetings with party's top brass was the issue of caste census in Karnataka, in the wake of Telangana's successful completion of the exercise. Labelling his processor K Chandrashekar Rao's family as an 'enemy' of Telangana, he affirmed that none from the family has any place in the Congress. Making sweeping comments on KCR family, he said that for as long as he was alive, none from KCR's family would get an entry into Congress. He likened the situation within the family to that of feud in the Telugu movie 'Assembly Rowdy'. He also accused BRS leaders of diverting media attention with their theatrics.
Revanth Reddy expressed openness to review projects with Union Minister G Kishan Reddy, for the greater good of Telangana. While accusing Kishan Reddy of being hand-in-glove with BRS leadership, he alleged that the BJP leader had done great injustice to Telangana and was obstructing projects. He said that he has not brought a single project to the state and asked as to why Kishan Reddy has not conducted a single review with him on Telangana issues as a Cabinet minister.
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