Party revamp, cabinet reshuffle? Or both?
*CM Kiran summoned to Delhi *Meeting Sonia Gandhi today * Pressure mounts on tainted ministers?
After denying appointment for PCC chief Botsa Satyanarayana even after five-day stay in New Delhi, the Congress party high command summoned Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy to Delhi on Wednesday. Kiran who was asked to attend a meeting with AICC president Sonia Gandhi, is likely to return with some broad changes in both the party and the government. Expectations are high in the Congress party circles that all the five tainted ministers will be fired following the growing demand inside and outside the party for their ouster. TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu alleged that the Congress party was adopting a dual policy with regard to tainted ministers. He said Union Law minister Aswani Kumar and Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal had been removed after their alleged involvement in the scams, but it had ignored the tainted ministers in the State cabinet. Congress leaders V Hanumantha Rao and Shankar Rao have also demanded for removal of tainted ministers. Pressure is mounting on the Congress leadership over the continuance of the tainted ministers.
The AICC president is reported to have expressed her anguish over the controversy of Aswani and Bansal. National news channels have carried stories of a rift between Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh over the Supreme Court’s blatant remarks . However, senior Congress leader Janardhan Dwivedi had clarified that there were no differences between Sonia and Manmohan as reported in the media. He also clarified that Manmohan will continue as Prime Minister till 2014.
Developments at the central party leadership indicate that there may be some drastic measures in the State party as well as in the government. The ministers, whose names have been figured in the CBI charge-sheet over 26 controversial GOs, may be sacked. The ministers who are continuing in the cabinet are: Sabita Indra Reddy, Dharmana Prasada Rao, J Geeta Reddy, Ponnala Lakshmaiah and Kanna Lakshminarayana. Another Minister Mopidevi Venkata Ramana is already in jail.
Some Congress leaders feel that if there is any hesitation in taking action against the tainted ministers will cost dearly for the party in the next elections. They blame CM Kiran for showing soft corner towards the ministers. If Sonia Gandhi is so serious about corruption, Kiran may be the first leader to face her wrath for doing favours to the ministers. Sonia may suggest immediate reshuffling of state cabinet and the new team should be in a position to shoulder responsibility of winning the 2014 elections.
Why was Botsa denied appointment?
PCC chief Botsa Satyanarayana tasted a bitter experience in New Delhi where he stayed for five days to have the appointment of Sonia Gandhi to discuss the party affairs. Minister Raghuveera Reddy, who had joined the bandwagon of the Kiran’s dissident group of ministers, proved it possible in two days to have darshan of Soniaji. She reportedly showed immense interest in the state party affairs and measures to be taken to set the things right. Sooner or later, the party high command is keen to change the party set-up and Botsa may be shifted from the party responsibilities. Botsais too not interested to continue as PCC chief and he had already expressed his intentions before party AP affairs in-charge Gulam Nabi Azad. If so, who will be the next to lead the party?. He or she should be acceptable to all in the three regions.
Congress high command has already given some signals over replacing Botsa. BC leaders D Srinivas from Nizamabad and Raghuveera Reddy from Anantapur are in the race for the position. Undoubtedly, D Srinivas will be the first choice for Congress as he had a track record of taking the party to victory in 2004, 2009 elections. Taking experiences in Karnataka assembly polls into consideration, where the BJP has bitten the dust with corruption charges and the Congress became victorious under the leadership of Siddaramaiah, the Congress leadership is now forced to take some urgent steps to fulfill the future ambitions.
-aks@sakshipost
