Telangana Neta Natter | Keen Watch For Jayesh Ranjan’s Next

A quiet churn is said to be underway in the Secretariat corridors, with special chief secretary Jayesh Ranjan reportedly uneasy in his current role heading the metropolitan area and urban development department. Known more for policy finesse, Jayesh is believed to be yearning for a return to familiar turf — information technology and industries — departments he shaped for nearly a decade across both BRS and Congress dispensations. Those portfolios, insiders say, remain close to his professional heart. Adding intrigue is the approaching superannuation of Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao on March 31. With barely two months left, Jayesh’s name has surfaced prominently in the succession sweepstakes. The situation presents Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy with a strategic choice: elevate Jayesh to the top bureaucratic post or redeploy him to steer IT and industries at a time when Telangana is keen to sharpen its investment narrative. For now, the file hasn’t moved, but the buzz has. Whether the coming weeks bring a corner office or a return to favourite departments, Jayesh Ranjan’s next posting is being watched as keenly as any political development.

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Kaushik Reddy embarrasses himself, and party, again

BRS MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy appears determined to stay in the headlines, though rarely for the right reasons. His public conduct, marked by confrontation and sharp rhetoric, is increasingly viewed as an embarrassment for both himself and his party. Known for unruly scenes inside the Legislative Assembly and frequent run-ins with police, Kaushik Reddy has often tested the limits of political decorum. His earlier arrest in an extortion case had already placed him under an uncomfortable spotlight. The latest episode unfolded at the Medaram jatara, where police stopped his oversized convoy, citing High Court restrictions on vehicle movement. Unwilling to comply, the MLA argued with officers and issued threats, claiming that he would settle scores when the BRS came back. Matters escalated when he made controversial remarks against Karimnagar police commissioner Gaush Alam, invoking communal accusations of 'religious conversions'. The comments drew strong criticism, prompting the IPS Officers Association to demand a public apology and for a change, the strong condemnation brought forth a prompt apology from the BRS MLA for his behaviour and words.

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No BRS tap dance when SIT sat Santosh down

In politics, signalling can mean a lot. There was a time when J. Santosh Rao, former BRS MP, was calling the shots within the party, especially when it came to access to party supremo K. Chandrashekar Rao, and does so even now to some extent. There were even times when the likes of K.T. Rama Rao and Harish Rao were reportedly at Santosh’s mercy when it came to the all-crucial access to the supremo, at least when the party was in power. Cut to the recent questioning by the SIT that is probing the telephone tapping case, which apparently became an opportunity for getting back at Santosh. On the two days when Harish Rao and KTR faced questioning by the SIT, party leaders and cadres rushed to express their support, the two leaders stood with each other, exchanging hugs. In sharp contrast, when Santosh was called by the SIT, all he had was a motley crowd of a few at the police station. Missing were the effusive receptions that Harish Rao and KTR got. As public displays go, there could not have been a stronger show of resentment at Santosh, party insiders say.

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VIPs Pretend Immunity To Hospital Rules

Among many places where no mistakes can be made, or no laxity on protocol can be allowed, are hospitals. After all, a patient being treated for traumatic injuries needs all the extra protection that can be put in place, especially when visitors troop in. But the scene last week at the Nims hospital, where excise constable G. Soumya is being treated for grievous injuries caused by a ganja gang that rammed their car into her, left the hospital staff wringing their hands in frustration. First it was health minister Damodar Rajanarsimha who reached the hospital to inquire about her well-being, followed by a visit several hours of waiting later by excise minister Jupally Krishna Rao. On their part, hospital staff were clear. No entry to the ward where the injured constable was, unless a visitor wore a mask, and disposable body covers. Rajanarsimha being the health minister, at least wore a disposable face mask while checking on the patient. But the entourages with the ministers, well, ‘entouraged’ in and out of the ward apparently without a care and of course, with no protective gear leaving the staff wondering if the check-ins were really about the patient, or something else like ticking off a box of a job that had to be done.

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Team Revanth shows it’s one for all, all for one

Even as Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy spent a fortnight overseas, politics at home refused to take a holiday. The release of the crucial municipal election schedule during his absence set tongues wagging, especially after ministers were appointed as district in-charges to steer the Congress campaign. With Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka coordinating the exercise, a series of strategy meetings followed, quickly becoming fodder for Opposition speculation. Rivals whispered about “secret meetings” and suggested unrest within the Revanth Cabinet. The government chose candour over silence. Bhatti, joined by senior ministers Uttam Kumar Reddy and D. Sridhar Babu, dismissed the claims as political fiction. They asserted that the Congress government functioned on collective leadership, not command-and-control. Bhatti revealed that Revanth Reddy was in constant touch from the US, offering guidance and reviewing plans through regular phone calls. What the Opposition called secrecy, the ruling party described as teamwork — portraying the Cabinet as a collaborative unit rather than a one-man show, in pointed contrast to the previous BRS regime.

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‘Can’t-onment’ Board, where nobody will

Everyone apparently wants the same. But the cat is still free with none willing to bell it. That is the story of the Secunderabad Cantonment merger with GHMC, which is back in the news. There is a Congress MLA on a fast, the BRS is flaunting a one-lakh signatures campaign while the BJP is circling the issue with careful words and a cautiously unclear stand. Everyone claims to be fighting for the residents. No one seems able to push the file forward. The Congress says the merger is needed for the GHMC to take up basic civic works, the BRS says people have spoken through signatures, while the BJP talks about process, history, and sensitivities – in other words saying that it finds itself in a tight spot on the matter. For the residents, meanwhile, it is a situation of being stuck between a Cantonment Board that looks elsewhere when faced with challenges, and a city body that cannot step in.

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Everyone forgets Chinese manja, bar the victims

Sankranti may have come and gone but death continues to lurk in the air in the form of the banned so-called ‘Chinese manja’. Despite the ‘crackdowns’ by the police, kite-flying by some has now turned from a fun event into a blood sport with the nylon glass-coated thread slicing its way through unsuspecting people. With the photo ops with seized reels of the manja now over, the cops appear to have taken it easy while incidents of injuries, and even one of a tragic death of a small girl whose throat was slashed by the manja while on a two-wheeler with her father, continue. Clearly, the ban on the Chinese manja has failed. Will this menace end only if a ban on flying kites is imposed next is the question doing the rounds.

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Asad And The Art Of Winning Big

AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi is a man not known to mince his words. His media interactions are never boring and the last one, following his party’s good showing in Maharashtra’s municipal polls, was no different. There was much to parse in his comments: After all, a candidate from Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena won rival Eknath Shinde’s residence area. Pressed for a response on whether BJP had actually consolidated its position in Maharashtra despite localised setbacks, Owaisi offered the questioner his chair and become party spokesperson if he knew more about the poll outcomes. Then, in his inimitable style, Owaisi said politics aren’t like queens popping out kings from their wombs like in the old monarchies. Democracy is a roll of dice, no one’s permanent, and anyone can win big. That last bit, is where AIMIM has set its eyes on.

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Contributions from Deepika Pasham, Rachel Dammala, Sanjay Samuel Paul, L. Venkat Ram Reddy, Neeraj Kumar Saibewar, Balu Pulipaka