Ministers fume over DL Ravindra Reddy's ousting

The Ministers in A.P. are furious at the way DL Ravindra Reddy was dismissed from the State Cabinet.  Congress party in the State is sure to face turbulence over the recent developments.

The followers of the CM are trying to pacify the Ministers who are agitated over the unceremonious way in which a senior minister like DL was shown the door by the CM. Even those Ministers in the Congress party who are loyal to the High Command and also to the CM,  are finding fault with the way the minister was sent out of the cabinet, especially when he was not in the country.

The Deputy Chief Minister, Damodara Raja Narasimha is furious at the latest developments in the cabinet. He had already complained many times to the Centre over the CM’s style of functioning. He got in to a huddle with Jana Reddy indicating that he is ready to resign. But Jana Reddy urged  him not to be hasty.

The PCC chief, Bothsa, is on the way to Delhi to complain to the High Command,  but strangely, C. Ramachandraiah, who appears to be next in line is maintaining silence. The talk is  Chiranjeevi - the Tourism Minister - at the Centre, advised him to keep silent for the moment.

At one moment, even Bothsa  wanted to react seriously to the dismissal of DL but wanted to consult the seniors in the Party before taking any step. He  simply gave a statement to the media in Vijayawada that he was grieved at the dismissal of DL.

Jana Reddy and some of the ministers who are opposing the CM are consulting Jaipal Reddy and trying to find out the reaction of the Centre. Jana Reddy refused to reveal the content of his discussions with Damothara. Palvai Govardhana Reddy, Member of Rajya Sabha and a diehard loyalist to the  party High Command said that, if the CM took a hasty step in dismissing DL without  giving a showcause notice and asking for explanation, the Centre should have stepped in to douse the flames of discontent and set the matters right. But he said that it was most unfortunate that the centre appeared to have condoned the actions of The CM; he was convinced that it will bring disastrous results to the Congress Party. 

DL Ravindra Reddy wants to confront the CM about the manner in which he was dismissed from the cabinet , especially as the CM was already holding his resignation letter, submitted long ago.  He wants to consult his fellow ministers and friends in the cabinet to chalk out his future course. It is interesting to note that those who are aspiring to fill the place of DL, like the MLA from Kamalapuram, G. Veera Siva Reddy and a former MLA, Varada Rajula Reddy welcomed DL’s dismissal. They said that DL Ravindra Reddy never did any service to the Congress party.

K. Kesava Rao, a former Rajya Sabha Member said that it is evident that the CM, by dismissing DL Ravindra Reddy, paid scant respect to the constitutional values. He is not denying that the CM is entitled to exercise his discretionary powers, but he should not, at the same time, throw to the wind, constitutional values and democratic traditions.

- Sakshipost