The
recent dismissal of Etala Rajender from the Telangana Cabinet has given way to intense debate and speculation in the state's political circles about whether Rajender's removal was the precursor to Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's decision to remove more ministers from the Cabinet to include "new faces" in the near future.
Sources from the ruling party suggest that the CM is once again toying with the idea of dropping three or four ministers after having received reports of corruption and financial irregularities against them. He is also reportedly thinking of replacing some ministers whose performance in office he sees as unsatisfactory.
The CM is keen, many believe, to introduce new faces into the Cabinet. This has left not less than half a dozen TRS legislators hopeful of being made ministers. Those known for their efficient work and their closeness to either the CM or to IT Minister K T Rama Rao are likely to be considered for the vacancies the removal of ministers will create.
However, other sources suggest that KCR is unlikely to want to invite fresh trouble at this juncture by axing some more ministers. They even feel that the CM might only fill the vacancy created by Rajender's dismissal after some time, following a careful assessment of the political clime.
Further, they opine that even if the CM is keen to show the door to a few ministers, he might wait for some time to do so, more specifically till the resolution of the Devaryamjal lands issue as this will reveal whether any legislators were involved in any irregularities or illegal deals. Since this will be a time-consuming process, the Cabinet reshuffles are unlikely to be carried out any time soon.
All this talk of a Cabinet reshuffle has also led to speculations about whether the CM will use the opportunity to elevate his daughter, MLC K Kavitha, to the post of a minister. Where some feel that it many ministers are replaced, this might indeed be the case, others feel that KCR may not take such a decision.
They reason that this will not only allow the Opposition to intensify its allegations of nepotism against the TRS supremo, but will also give the chance to flay KCR for "securing jobs for only one family" in Telangana.
Speculations about a major Cabinet reshuffle have been
doing the rounds since April itself.
KCR, allegedly unhappy with some ministers, has reportedly been actively looking to replace them with more engaged leaders to improve the overall governance of the state. Sources suggest that the MLAs being considered for ministerial positions include Balka Suman, Palla Rajeshwar Reddy, Vinay Bhaskar, and also the
newly elected MLC of the Hyderabad-Mahabubanagar-Rangareddy graduates' constituency, Surabhi Vani Devi, the daughter of former Prime Minister P V Narasihma Rao.