Telangana Netas Natter | When A Minister Turns Brand Ambassador For A Varsity…

Transport minister Ponnam Prabhakar the other day turned promoter-in-chief for Satavahana University’s College of Engineering, joining university officials and teachers to woo this year’s engineering hopefuls. With private colleges elbowing for attention, a ministerial nudge toward the government campus felt pleasantly like a VIP endorsement. Prabhakar listed the college’s goodies — modern labs, roomy classrooms, and a calm Husnabad setting that’s ideal for studying and avoiding exam-day jitters. He urged students to make Satavahana their first choice during counselling, promising solid education without the usual fuss. Faculty members stood by, offering warm reassurances and helpful answers to clear the doubts. The campaign mixed gentle persuasion with genuine pride, a reminder that sometimes the best bet is the one that combines good facilities, experienced staff, and a government stamp of confidence. If admissions were a popularity contest, Satavahana just got a friendly vote from the top.

A Revanth primer on turning the tables

When Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy unveiled the bronze statue of N.T. Rama Rao at Ameerpet, the event triggered more political curiosity than controversy. For many, the obvious question was: why would a Congress Chief Minister honour the founder of the Telugu Desam, a leader who built his political legacy on opposing the Congress? Revanth anticipated the criticism and turned the occasion into a lesson in political history, arguing that NTR belonged not to a party or a region, but to the collective pride of Telugu people. He described NTR as a towering personality who transcended caste, religion, language and regional boundaries and earned admiration across the country. The Chief Minister also highlighted NTR’s role in nurturing several leaders from Telangana, including Tummala Nageswara Rao, Mandava Venkateswara Rao, Kadiyam Srihari and Motkupalli Narasimhulu. In a politically-loaded remark, Revanth noted that even BRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao rose through the ranks of the TD under NTR’s guidance, calling KCR’s political journey “NTR’s political bhiksha.”

When babus fight, it’s education on the block

In the higher education corridors, a bureaucratic tug-of-war has turned into an unexpected roadblock for thousands of aspiring degree students. At the heart of the standoff are two powerful voices — TGCHE Chairman Prof. V. Balakista Reddy and collegiate and technical education commissioner A. Sridevasena — locked in a battle over who gets to greenlight new-age degree courses. Prof. Balakista Reddy is pushing for faster adoption of innovative undergraduate programmes, arguing that colleges must keep pace with changing industry demands and prepare students for future careers instead of drowning in paperwork. On the other hand, Sridevasena insists that innovation cannot come at the cost of procedure. According to her, every proposed course must pass through statutory checkpoints, including scrutiny by the project monitoring unit and approvals from AICTE or university Boards of Studies. The dispute has exposed a curious contradiction. While some new courses reportedly found their way into polytechnic colleges through the State Board of Technical Education and Training, the same programmes faced hurdles in conventional degree colleges. The resulting administrative deadlock has delayed admissions, forcing the Chief Minister to step in.

Renuka stirs the waters again

The irrepressible Renuka Chowdhury was at it again, doing what she does best — speak her mind. Her recent comments that followers carrying the chappal of their leaders seem to be getting nominated posts created a sensation of sorts in Khammam district. The Rajya Sabha member’s target was P. Durga Prasad, a staunch follower of Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, getting the Stambhadri Urban Development Authority chairman post. This immediately put Renuka at odds with Bhatti, and two other ministers, Tummala Nageswara Rao and Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, also from the erstwhile Khammam district, who have often pointed out that only those who work for the party, will get nominated posts. That someone like Renuka said what she said has now set off a buzz from the disgruntled lot in the Congress in the district who feel they have been left out of the race for nominated posts.

Jitters as BJP MLA turns pally with Revanth

Old friends? Check. In rival parties now? Check. And do such situations create problems? Check. This is the situation that BJP MLA from Adilabad Payal Shankar finds himself in, following allegations that he is moving closely with Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy. Apparently worried over this, the Congress’ Adilabad constituency in-charge Kandi Srinivas Reddy has challenged Shankar to quit the BJP, his MLA seat, contest again if he wants to join the Congress, but only after Congress high command okays such a move. Srinivas Reddy’s charges that Shankar had his legs in two boats, and that even BJP workers were unhappy about it, did not sit well with the BJP MLA. Apparently realising that the situation needs immediate control, Shankar has declared that the Chief Minister does not belong only to the Congress but to the people of Telangana and that he has every right to meet the CM for the development of his constituency. And to make the point even stronger, Shankar recalled that he and Revanth were once together in the Telugu Desam. Old ties or not, the BJP’s MLAs purported closeness with the CM appears to have set alarm bells ringing in the Adilabad Congress.

Lokesh holds out lesson for newbie TN minister

Andhra Pradesh IT minister Nara Lokesh turned into a much needed friend for S. Keerthana, the 29-year-old minister for industries in Tamil Nadu. Keerthana had been making waves with enthusiastic posts on social media about plans to transform the state’s industrial landscape, and on it going modern and into the future. Keerthana used trendy music, slick edits and start-up-style messaging — enough to trigger a full-scale social media meltdown among traditional political purists. As naysayers quickly jumped on the young minister from Tamil Nadu, with folks trolling her social media posts and saying that investments don’t come via social media reels and videos, Lokesh stepped in, with a bit of advice for the newcomer politician. Recalling his experience of being trolled for being tech-savvy, Lokesh advised Keerthana to ignore the noise and focus on bringing investments and jobs to her state. Once the results start coming in, they will silence the troll armies more effectively than arguments on social media, Lokesh pointed out. Clearly, after being through the mill, Lokesh knows a thing or two about social media problems and his advice should stand the new minister from Tamil Nadu in good stead.

Contributions from L. Venkat Ram Reddy, P. Srinivas, Neeraj Kumar, Pillalamarri Srinivas, Sampat G. Samritan