Revanth Acts Tough on Cabinet Smear Campaigns

A series of media leaks involving either ministers or government policies in the past few months have given leverage to the principal opposition BRS to take on the Chief Minister. To the shock of the top brass, the needle of suspicion behind these leaks was pointed at a Congress leader in a responsible position in the Pradesh Congress Committee, and a senior minister upset over being sidelined in the decision-making process on several important issues though they were beyond his portfolio.

Hyderabad Central Crime Station sleuths on Monday booked a first information report (FIR) against vernacular television channels NTV and T News, owned by BRS supremo K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s family, and online news platforms for airing/publishing reports talking low of a minister and a senior woman IAS official. The FIR was registered based on the complaint lodged by special chief secretary Jayesh Ranjan, in his capacity as president of the Telangana IAS Officers Association.

Sources close to the Chief Minister told Deccan Chronicle that Revanth Reddy had asked the officials to approach the Union information and broadcasting ministry to explore the possibilities of stern action against the erring channels from the Centre. He is believed to have assured the IAS association that there would not be any compromise in protecting the dignity and image of the state’s bureaucracy.

A few days ago there were reports targeting transport minister Ponnam Prabhakar who, sources said, saw a conspiracy meant to replace him with another BC community leader who was eyeing a Cabinet berth. Incidentally, the same Congress leader was allegedly instrumental in the publication of adverse reports a few months ago that an extra-constitutional authority was calling shots in the home department and indulging in settlements by making use of police officials.

“The Chief Minister had to bear the brunt because he handles the home portfolio. The Congress leader is constantly targeting, though indirectly, all those in the Chief Minister’s circle,” sources said. They added that this leader was at the root of the episode involving forest minister Konda Surekha and a cement manufacturing company turning ugly.

The Revanth Reddy-led government was in for shock when the Hyderabad Industrial Land Transformation Policy, aimed at relocating polluting industries from the city to outside the Outer Ring Road by encouraging the unit holders to monetise their land holdings, reached BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao even before the Cabinet had approved the relevant government order.

“Though the vigilance probe revealed that a mid-level official had sent the draft policy copy to KTR, no action was initiated because of his proximity to a minister,” sources added.