Hyderabad: The mood in Raj Bhavan was not all of joy and jubilation as would be expected on the historic day the new state of Telangana was officially born. There was some despair and anger from those who did not get Cabinet berths as they had expected.
While the newly-minted Chief Minister, Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao and his 11 Cabinet ministers were in joyous mood, MLC Swami Goud, legislators Padma Devender Reddy, Srinivas Goud, Laxma Reddy, Konda Surekha and several MLAs who failed to make the cut were upset.
The two new deputy Chief Ministers, Mohd Mahamood Ali and Dr T. Rajaiah were on cloud nine, but Mr Swami Goud, who led the TNGOs during the peak of the Telangana movement and is a close pal of KCR, was visibly upset, though he put a brave face on it and said it was the prerogative of the CM to give Cabinet berths.
“Those who kicked us got Cabinet berths and those who received the kicks were ignored,” fumed a ministerial aspirant, referring to Tandur MLA, P. Mahender Reddy, who quit the TD and joined the TRS and was rewarded with a Cabinet post.
TRS sources said KCR was in a dilemma about who among the three members of the Goud community should get a Cabinet post T. Padma Rao, Swami Goud and Srinivas Goud. He finally zeroed in on Mr Padma Rao keeping in view the ensuing GHMC elections and Mr Padma Rao’s long innings as a party leader.
“The problem is that every newspaper and TV channel pitched for Mr Swami Goud. This led to the firm belief that he would get the Cabinet berth,” explained a party MLA.
In forming his Cabinet, KCR tried to ensure one Cabinet post for each district, caste and community combination, and the party’s interests. In fact, he told at a TNGOs meeting that he had to choose between Mr Swami Goud and Mr Srinivas Goud, who were both leaders of the employees’ organisation.
Sources say that Mr Swami Goud lost out following allegations of wrong doing in the allotment of plots in NGOs colony.
Another TRS leader who looked rather crestfallen was K. Harishwar Reddy, who was defeated in the recent elections from Parigi.
Though Mr Jalagam Venkat Rao was the lone victor from Kothagudem Assembly constituency in Khammam district, he could not be accommodated in the Cabinet since there were already three from the Velma community---KCR, his son, KTR and Mr Harish Rao.
Mr Rao could not also decide Cabinet berths for women aspirants like Padma Devender Reddy, Kova Laxmi, Rekha Naik , Ms Gongadi Sunita and Ms Konda Surekha
