Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has given priority to loyalists while inducting ministers into the Cabinet on Tuesday, and has avoided criticism that he is perpetuating “family rule” by keeping his son K.T. Rama Rao and his nephew T. Harish Rao out of the Cabinet.
Telangana Rashtra Samiti circles see Mr Rama Rao’s stamp on the Cabinet. Senior ministers in the first TRS Cabinet have not found a place in this Cabinet.
First-time MLA Singireddy Niranjan Reddy and second time legislator Vemula Prashant Reddy, who have been inducted, are known to be very loyal to Chief Minister Rao and his son. Though Mr Harish Rao played a key role in bringing former TD legislator Errabelli Dayakar Rao into the party after the 2014 elections, the latter became a loyalist of Mr Chandrasekhar Rao and Mr Rama Rao.
The others inducted in the Cabinet are: Mr A. Indrakaran Reddy, Mr G. Jagadish Reddy, Mr Koppula Eswar, Mr Talasani Srinivasa Yadav, Mr Ch Malla Reddy and Mr V. Srinivasa Goud — all known to be loyal to the Chief Minister and Mr Rama Rao.
Mr Etala Rajendar is also a loyalist, but reportedly disappointed the Chief Minister by rejecting his offer of becoming the Assembly Speaker.
TRS sources said that Mr Chandrasekhar Rao, with an eye to the future, has put aside seniors such as Kadiam Srihari and Nayini Narasimha Reddy and given priority to younger legislators.
In the recent Assembly elections, Mr Chandras-ekhar Rao was criticised by the Prime Minister and even local political leaders of running a government comprised of his family members. This did not stop voters from giving the TRS a majority and Mr Rama Rao and Mr Harish Rao won with big majorities. Yet Mr Chandrasekhar Rao has kept both his son and nephew out of his Cabinet, silencing any allegations of nepotism.
But Mr Rao has not taken any woman into his Cabinet and there is not a single ST minister in the 12-member cabinet either. TRS leaders expressed surprise at Mr Chandrasekhar Rao not inducting women and MLAs from STs into the Cabinet ahead of Lok Sabha elections when having such representation now would help.
However, sources close to Mr Chandrasekhar Rao said that there would be one more Cabinet expansion after the LS polls in which Mr Rao would give representation to women and STs.
Former ministers who have not been included this time, such as Kadiam Srihari, will be given some other post.
