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The Hindu
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
CM should hand over reigns to a BC: Ramchander Rao
Telangana BJP president N. Ramchander Rao demanded Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy's resignation from his post, and asked him to make a person from the BC community as the CM if he is really committed towards their welfare. Addressing party workers at several places in Medak, during his tour on Friday, Mr. Ramchander Rao said that the onus is on the Congress Government to ensure 42% quota for BCs is implemented in the local body polls. BJP has voted in favour of the BC quota bill in the Assembly and offered support for the purported ordnance but the Congress Government has been spreading false information about the Centre not accepting the quota plea, he claimed. He questioned if the ruling party was not aware of the legal complications of having 10% for Muslims from within the BC quota as it would adversely affect the latter and reiterated the party's opposition to reservations based on religion. Vote bank politics was behind the move, maintained the BJP chief. The former MLC said it was the BJP which has set up the National BC Commission and more than 20 ministers in the Union Cabinet including Prime Minister Modi hail from the Backward Class communities. Expressing confidence in winning a majority of seats in local body elections, he said the people were itching to teach a lesson to the Congress government for failing to implement the promised guarantees to various sections of the people including farmers, students and others. The governance in the state has come to a standstill with the Chief Minister confined to Delhi visits. Mr. Ramchander Rao claimed that the party has successfully spread its tentacles from urban to village level and hoped that people would give a chance to party in the next assembly elections. Earlier, Medak MP M. Raghunandan Rao, district party president Mallesh and other leaders accorded a warm welcome when he reached Narsapur as part of his district tour.
Hans India
01-07-2025
- Business
- Hans India
3 lakh Indiramma houses sanctioned for underprivileged: Ponguleti
Hyderabad: Revenue and Housing Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy has announced that three lakh houses have so far been sanctioned under the new Indiramma housing scheme, with 1.23 lakh of these currently in various stages of construction. The state government has set an ambitious target to construct 4.5 lakh houses in total, allocating 3,500 houses per constituency at an estimated cost of Rs 22,500 crore. The Congress Government in Telangana has now sanctioned three lakh houses under this flagship Indiramma Housing Scheme, which aims to provide permanent shelter to the poor across the state. This large-scale initiative forms a crucial part of the government's broader mission to eliminate huts and establish Telangana as a model state in providing housing for the underprivileged. Minister Srinivas Reddy highlighted the scheme's unique nature, stating, 'While no other state government in the country is constructing houses for Rs 5 lakh each, Telangana is going ahead and building them without depending on central housing schemes.' He further asserted that under the leadership of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, the Indiramma government is actively turning the dreams of the poor into reality. 'In the past, the poor in Telangana could only dream of owning a home due to the negligence of the previous government. That dream is now becoming a reality,' he explained. To further support the construction efforts, the government is generously offering 40 metric tonnes of sand free of cost for each house. Moreover, to ensure utmost transparency and eliminate any delays, payments for house construction are being credited directly into beneficiaries' bank accounts every Monday, as noted by the minister. Minister Srinivas Reddy urged officials to focus intently on improving performance in districts that are currently lagging behind in implementation and to expedite planning for the construction of houses in urban areas. With significant progress already being made in rural Telangana, he directed officials to identify all available land in towns and cities and prepare concrete action plans for immediate implementation.
The Hindu
08-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Telangana Cabinet expansion: A calculated move towards social justice
The long-awaited expansion of the Telangana Cabinet reflected the Congress Government's commitment to social justice and inclusive representation. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy gave the final touches on Saturday (June 7, 2025) night on what appears to be a politically astute, yet socially balanced reshuffle, since the all the three new Ministers are from the marginalised communities. The expansion underscores Revanth Reddy's 'social justice formula', which he has consistently advocated since assuming office. The decision to induct three Ministers from downtrodden castes, including one from the Mudiraj community, aligns with the Congress's larger social narrative and follows in the wake of the recent caste survey conducted by the government. Ponnam Prabhkar from the Goud Community and Konda Surekha from Munnuru Kapus, two strong OBC communities (Konda Surekha is a Padmashali but her husband is a Munnuru Kapu) have already been accommodated in the initial Cabinet formation. The addition of a Mudiraj Minister now brings balance among the dominant Backward Classes. Notably, for the first time in Telangana's political history, four Ministers from Scheduled Castes (SCs) will serve simultaneously in the Cabinet, a record, especially when the Speaker of the Assembly also belongs to the SC community. This is being seen as a direct reflection of Rahul Gandhi's influence, pushing the party toward greater representation for the marginalised. However, the expansion is not without its political friction. Three berths remain vacant, with Minorities and Scheduled Tribes (STs) still awaiting representation. The move has left Reddy leaders, traditionally powerful in Telangana politics, on the sidelines, caught in a power tussle between Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy and P. Sudershan Reddy. The three vacancies are directly related to the party's dilemma in choosing one among them. P Sudershan Reddy, a Congress veteran worked in Y.S. Rajashekhar Reddy's Cabinet in the combined State. His name was pushed hard by the CM Revanth Reddy with the high command. Rajgopal Reddy, in particular, is likely to feel betrayed, as his return to Congress from the BJP before the elections was reportedly conditional upon a Cabinet berth. Even the party high command was in his favour, but the challenge was to balance the equations. His brother Komatireddy Venkata Reddy is already in the Cabinet and so is N. Uttam Kumar Reddy — both from the combined Nalgonda district. Another Minister from the same district and that too from Reddy community looks near impossible in the Cabinet structure. Ironically, G. Vivek Venkatswamy, who joined the Congress alongside Rajgopal Reddy, has made it into the Cabinet. Vivek's inclusion, though beneficial in optics and outreach, given his media influence and his father G. Venkataswamy's legacy, may trigger accusations of dynasty politics. His brother G. Vinod, is a sitting MLA, and his son, G. Vamshi Krishna, is an MP, raising eyebrows within the party. Another notable omission is Prem Sagar Rao from Adilabad, a loyalist who held the party's flag high in northern Telangana when most of the leadership switched sides to BRS or BJP between 2014 and 2024. His exclusion suggests that loyalty alone does not guarantee the reward. First-time faces All the new entrants are first-time MLAs, symbolising a push for fresh blood in the government. While this bodes well for generational change and grassroots connection, it also reveals the influence of Revanth Reddy, who had his mark in the selection. The careful balancing of caste identities, combined with political consolidation, points to a strategic repositioning by the Congress in Telangana. The move signals to voters that the party is serious about social justice, while also subtly laying the groundwork for the 2029 battle. Minority and STs await their chance With Minority and ST representation still pending, and Reddy leaders restive, this expansion is likely just the beginning of a broader political evolvement. Whether this bold social justice experiment will yield long-term gains or internal discord will depend on how Revanth Reddy manages party expectations, governance performance, and caste equations in the months ahead.
The Hindu
08-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Telangana Cabinet expanded with inclusion of Vivek Venkataswamy, Vakiti Srihari and Adluri Lakshman Kumar
The Telangana State Cabinet has seen the first expansion 18 months after the Congress Government took over the reins in December 2023. Governor Jishnu Dev Varma administered oath of office and secrecy to three new Ministers – G. Vivek Venkataswamy, Adluri Lakshman Kumar and Vakiti Srihari at a simple ceremony on Sunday (June 8, 2025). Mr. Vivek took oath in English and Mr. Lakshman Kumar and Mr. Srihari in Telugu in the presence of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Ministers, Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao, DGP Jitender, MIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi and senior Congress leaders. The strength of the Cabinet reached 13 with the addition of three more members and there is still space for accommodating few more. The portfolios of the new Ministers are yet to be announced amid talk that there can be a reshuffle in the portfolios of the existing Ministers. Expansion of the Council of Minister has been long overdue and several names cropped up once the Chief Minister intensified his requests to the Congress leadership to permit inclusion of new members. The Chief Minister and the Congress leadership took adequate care in striking social balance in the addition of new members with the inclusion of Mr. Srihari hailing from backward classes, Mr. Vivek from Mala community and Mr. Lakshman Kumar from Madiga community of the scheduled castes. Senior leaders like Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy had openly lobbied with the party leadership for ministerial berths whenever the Cabinet was expanded while senior leader and former Minister Sudharshan Reddy was keen that his name be included in the list given his seniority in the party as also in the assembly. AICC Telangana affairs in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan held several rounds of discussions with sections of party leaders ahead of the expansion seeking their views. Though several names cropped up once the talk of expansion gained momentum, the Chief Minister reportedly preferred maintaining social balance on the council of Ministers in spite of the challenge he faced in managing the representation of the strong Reddy community.
The Hindu
31-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Praveen Kumar alleges discrimination of students in gurukuls
HYDERABAD BRS leader and former IPS officer R.S. Praveen Kumar has accused the Congress Government of discriminating Dalit (Scheduled Caste) students of social welfare residential schools, and alleged that with the government support, IAS officer in-charge of those institutions Alugu Varshini had made disparaging remarks that there was nothing wrong if students cleaned their toilets. Speaking to newspersons, along with a few parents whose wards are studying in the gurukuls, on Saturday, he recollected Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy's comments that he was the 'pedda madiga and pedda mala' in the State (first Mala and Madiga, the sub-castes of SCs), Mr. Praveen Kumar, who functioned as the Secretary of residential educational institutions when in service, sought to know if Mr. Reddy was cleaning toilets in his home or his Cabinet colleagues were doing the same. The officer reportedly said there was nothing wrong if students cleaned their toilets. If that is the government's policy, a GO should be issued, he said. He criticised the government for posting an officer who was reluctant to talk to the parents as the in-charge of gurukuls. He alleged that the Inter second-year students of Gowlidoddi residential school were being told to pursue education outside, and the government had also closed the Sainik School for girls. He also sought to know why the Chief Minister had not announced a cash reward to Agasara Nandini for winning a medal in the Asian Athletic Championships.
