A possible crisis for the week-old Kiran Kumar Reddy government was averted on Thursday after the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister sought time from his rebellious Cabinet colleagues to redress their grievance over regional and caste imbalances in the Cabinet.
The showdown was averted when Botcha Satyanarayana (Transport) and Dharmana Prasada Rao (Roads&Buildings), who were sulking over their portfolios, had separate interactions with Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy ahead of the maiden meeting of the Cabinet in the afternoon.
Informed sources said Mr. Satyanarayana presented to Mr. Reddy ‘statistical proof of glaring imbalances' in distribution of 11 key portfolios, including Home, Finance, Revenue, Major Irrigation, Roads & Buildings and Municipal Administration.
He said eight of these subjects had been entrusted to Reddys, and Ministers from seven coastal Andhra districts — Srikakulam to Guntur — were given lightweight portfolios compared with Ministers from Rayalaseema and Telangana.
