Former Rajya Sabha members – Nandi Yellaiah and T. Ratna Bai – are among three persons nominated to the Legislative Council under the Governor’s quota.
Apart from the two former MPs, Kanteti Satyanarayana Raju, a former Minister was also nominated to the Upper House.
Two days ago, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy had called on the Governor E.S.L.Narasimhan to discuss the issue of filling up the seats under the Governor’s quota.
Party sources said Mr. Yellaiah and Ms. Ratna Bai were accommodated in the Council to deflect the criticism at the time of Rajya Sabha elections that dalits and tribals had been given a short shrift. These two out going MPs were dropped while K.V.P.Ramachandra Rao, T.Subbarami Reddy and M.A.Khan were again chosen as candidates for Rajya Sabha to fill up six vacancies from the State.
A group of dalit and tribal Ministers and MLAs had raised their voice against ill-treatment to the two former MPs and demanded that the party’s central leadership should rectify the mistake by nominating to the Council under Governor’s quota.
InstrumentalMr. Raju, who was instrumental in revival of the Council during the tenure Y.S.Rajasekhara Reddy, could not be accommodated during that time due to various equations. Subsequently too he failed to get the nod but finally, luck smiled on him this time.
