VIJAYAWADA: Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan has strongly resisted the proposed induction as ministers of YSRC MLAs who defected to the ruling party. This is likely to delay the proposed expansion of the state Cabinet. The Governor reportedly mentioned this to Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, with reference to the controversy over Mr Talasani Srinivas Ya-dav being sworn-in as minister in Telangana state even while he did not resign as Telugu Desam legislator.
As part of ‘Operation Akarsh’, the Telugu Desam had agreed to induct some defectors into the Cabinet including Nandyal MLA Bhuma Nagi Reddy, Jaggampet MLA Jyothula Nehru and an MLA from the Muslim community. “Mr Naidu has been focusing on restructuring his Cabinet and prioritising team roles and responsibilities,” a senior TD leader said.
The Governor’s reaction has complicated the situation for the CM. This is being seen as part of the cold vibes the two share since the cash-for-vote case. The Governor faced criticism from TD leaders on implementation of Section 8 of AP Reorganisation Act to take over control of law and order in Hyderabad. A TD leader said: “Mr Naidu is looking for support from Delhi to sort out the issue. He is also working on new strategies to keep up his promise to the defected MLAs.” He said the Governor wanted to take this issue to the Centre's notice.
Asked about the development, Mr Parakala Prabhakar, state government communications’ adviser, said: “I don’t think that such a long discussion happened between the Governor and the Chief Minister. He clearly mentioned that it was the Chief Minister’s prerogative to select his Cabinet ministers, which has nothing to do the Governor.”
