Was it a deliberate act that caretaker Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy’s name did not find place on any of the plaques erected at the Ruia Hospital as well as on the site for launching a ‘Rajiv Awas Yojana’ housing scheme in Tirupati here?
On Wednesday, Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh inaugurated an ‘Institute of Obstetrics’ and laid a foundation stone for a State-level cancer institute at Sri Venkateswara Ramnarain Ruia Government General Hospital (SVRRGGH), besides laying a foundation stone for a housing scheme under ‘Rajiv Awas Yojana’.
However, the name of Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy was found missing and when asked, an official sought to justify it by saying it was because Mr. Reddy was a caretaker Chief Minister.
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However, he had no answer when asked about the inclusion of the name of N. Chandrababu Naidu, the Leader of the Opposition on the plaque.
Officials remained tight-lipped over what is widely seen as a ‘gaffe’.
When contacted, the revenue officials (who take care of the protocol) as well as hospital authorities maintained that they were not aware of the lapse.
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They, in fact, had not only been not involved in the process, but were informed at the eleventh hour.
“Politicians are known for such things. As this is an official function, the officials ought to explain this lapse,” demanded PCC former joint secretary P. Naveenkumar Reddy, a close follower of Mr. Kiran Reddy.