Officials Insulting Me: Shankar Rao

Handlooms and Textiles Minister Dr. P Shankar Rao alleged that he was being repeatedly subjected to humiliation by officials at the instance of Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy.

Talking to reporters at the Congress Legislature Party office here on Tuesday, Dr. Shankar Rao said that although he was a cabinet minister, a city MLA and a senior Congress leader, officials completely ignored him in the Rachabanda programs held in the limits of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation.

He said that he was neither invited nor intimated by the officials about any program.

Stating that ignoring a cabinet minister in the official programs was an open violation of protocol, he alleged that he was being ignored at the instance of the Chief Minister, who is repeatedly trying to humiliate him in one way or the other.

Citing another instance, he said the State Government had recently released a book about the Partnership Summit scheduled to be held in Hyderabad during January 11-13. He said that although the book was also about the Handlooms and Textiles ministry, the officials did not invite him for the book release. Further, his name was completely ignored in the event.

Dr. Rao also refused to answer a question on whether he plans to lodge a complaint with the Congress High Command about the issue.

He also did not specify whether he would attend the meeting of the State Cabinet scheduled to be held on Wednesday.

Interestingly, he proposed to hold an all-party meeting at the Lake View Guest House to discuss the problems of handloom workers in the state on Wednesday, the timing coinciding with that of the cabinet meeting. (INN)