TELANGANA NETA NATTER | BRS Pins Kadiam On Its Poster For A Roaster

Never lose an opportunity, especially when one presents itself for some good old-fashioned passive-aggressive hospitality to score a political point. Taking this heart, BRS workers decided to throw a grand welcome for Station Ghanpur MLA Kadiam Srihari in the constituency, erecting a massive flexi-banner welcoming him as a loyal BRS leader, despite his alliance with the Congress. The irony was staring everyone in the face. After all, Srihari, currently juggling a Supreme Court case and disqualification notices, gave has given a letter to the Speaker claiming he is still very much with the BRS. Taking his words literally, and to score a point of their own, BRS cadres decided to celebrate his visit with posters featuring both him and his arch-rival, former MLA Thatikonda Rajaiah, on party banners. Therein lay the rub, with BRS cadres having a bit of fun with the situation Srihari placed himself in.

As coal dust rises, all eyes on Kishan

With a lot of coal dust being kicked up around the issue of Singareni collieries and its tendering processes, Union coal minister and senior BJP leader G. Kishan Reddy has suddenly found himself in the middle of a battle between the BRS and the Congress, and apparently, the recent comment from Telangana BJP chief N. Ramchander Rao announcing that Delhi was ready to order a CBI probe into the matter, provided the state asks for it, has not helped matters any. Faced with the BRS demand for a CBI probe, Kishan Reddy pointed out that it was the BRS that barred the the CBI from the state. Even as the BRS and the Congress continue to haul each other over the coals, the BJP's wait-and-watch on Singareni — in which the Centre owns a 49-per cent stake – with no probe announcement coming, has raised eyebrows. This despite a two-member Central team arriving to look into the issue, and Kishan himself heading to Singareni to check on the goings on.

Kotwal has a new take on freedom of press

Hyderabad police commissioner V.C. Sajjanar, while defending the arrest of three NTV journalists recently, turned a routine media interaction into an offbeat display of power. He asserted that the police were not obligated to issue notices and that those summoned could be “caught and brought” from anywhere, a phrase that echoed louder than the microphones. He asked why cooperation should be expected when, in his view, the accused themselves were not cooperating with the law. As murmurs of an Emergency-like situation in the state floated in the public discourse, Sajjanar brushed them aside with sharp logic, pointing to the very presence of journalists as proof of freedom. If Emergency truly existed, he said, none would be standing there and they would be 'inside' (jail). The presser ended in just seven minutes, but its confrontational tone lingered far longer.

Arvind Kumar now needs phone calls to be recognised

Arvind Kumar IAS. He once moved Hyderabad’s urban machinery with a flick of his pen. As the special chief secretary of the MA&UD, metropolitan commissioner of the HMDA, and commissioner of municipal administration, he was among the most powerful bureaucrats during the BRS regime. Cut to this past Friday in the Old City, and the contrast could not have been starker. The once famed bureaucrat, who is now special chief secretary for disaster management, attended a religious programme, where, for more than 15 minutes, he stood waiting — unwelcomed and unrecognised. No hurried greetings, no introductions, no attention. Even police officials, who were standing next to him, did not make any move to welcome the bureaucrat. Finally, after making several phone calls, organisers received him and escorted him into the celebration area. For a man who once commanded instant attention across Hyderabad’s corridors of power, him waiting at the celebrations spoke louder than any introduction.

Divided Waqf Board hopes there is some hope for ‘Umeed’

One-upmanship of higher authorities at the Telangana Waqf Board has caused quite a kerfuffle at the institution, leaving the staff, and the public bewildered, at the goings-on over the past couple of months. A reported rift and long-standing power struggle between Telangana Waqf Board chairman Syed Azmatullah Hussaini, and CEO Md Asadullah not only significantly hampered the board’s functioning, but also delayed salaries to the staff. The feud was fuelled by deep-seated disagreements over administrative and legal interpretations and the rows over why the board lost some of its land-related court cases. With Asadullah now getting some expanded administrative powers granted by the state to break the deadlock, and with the extended deadline for Umeed approaching in March, the lingering question is whether the present arrangement will help the board complete the pending task before it’s too late.

Revanth, Lokesh out to make Telugu states a national example

Political clashes between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana may be commonplace, but things apparently turn remarkably cordial the moment leaders cross Indian shores. In the snowy neutrality of Davos, Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Andhra Pradesh education and IT minister Nara Lokesh showcased this transformation on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum. Courtesy came first. Lokesh felicitated Revanth with a Mangalagiri shawl and memento, with the gestures swiftly reciprocated — proof that protocol travels better than politics. As the conversation turned to AP’s IT growth and education reforms with Lokesh projecting the state as an emerging model, Revanth responded with Telangana’s development and welfare narrative, highlighting ITIs revamped as skill camps and inviting Lokesh to see the changes himself. An invitation to the Medaram Jatara added a cultural flourish. Both leaders agreed that competing for investments — politely, at least in Davos —could make the Telugu states a national example. The real test, of course, awaits their return home.

Contributions from Prathyush Nallella, L. Venkat Ram Reddy, Md Nizamuddin, Neeraj Kumar Saibewar, Puli Sharat Kumar, K.M.P. Patnaik