The two-month-old Telangana Rashtra Samiti government in Telangana was expanded on February 19 with the induction of 10 Ministers at a ceremony on the lawns of the Raj Bhavan.
The new Minsiters are: S. Niranjan Reddy, E. Dayakar Rao, G. Jagdish Reddy, V. Srinivas Goud, Eatala Rajender, C. Malla Reddy, T. Srinivas Yadav, Koppula Eashwar, V. Prashant Reddy and A. Indrakaran Reddy.
Barring Mr. Rajender, Mr. Srinivas Yadav, Mr. Indrakaran Reddy and Mr. Jagdish Reddy, the other six are new faces. There is no representation for erstwhile Ranga Reddy and Khammam districts.
Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new Ministers. The new Ministers took the blessings of the Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao after being sworn in. Ministers in the previous TRS government, MLAs and MPs were present.
The Chief Minister’s son and TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao and former Irrigation Minister and the Chief Minister’s nephew T. Harish Rao, who were power centres in the last government, were also present.
Mr. Harish Rao told media persons that he will abide by the decision of the Chief Minister as a loyal party worker. He denied being unhappy and condemned social media postings over dropping him.
PTI adds:
There are no women in the Council of Ministers. Mr. Rao’s first Cabinet too did not have women Ministers.
Mr. Rama Rao was appointed as TRS working president, a day after the Chief Minister assumed charge for the second term on December 13, 2018 after the party returned to power with a thumping majority in the 119-member Assembly. Along with the Chief Minister, Mohammed Mahmood Ali had also been sworn in, and he was allotted the Home portfolio.
The “delay” in Cabinet expansion had drawn fire from Opposition parties who contended that it amounted “violation” of constitutional norms and had hit administration.
However, rejecting the charge, the ruling TRS said a high-level committee had looked into ways to streamline the entire administration by bringing together connected departments under one Ministry and the exercise took time.
On February 15, the Chief Minister fixed February 19 for the Cabinet expansion, as it is an “auspicious day” being “Magha Shuddha Pournami” as per the Lunar calendar.
