In an informal chat with mediapersons recently in his chambers at the Secretariat, Telangana state Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy found fault with the media for not highlighting the raids carried by GST officials in the city. Revanth said that the raids ordered by the state government had detected huge tax evasions, involvement of officials who worked in the CMO when K. Chandrashekar Rao was chief minister and involvement of BRS leaders, but the mainstream media did not give due coverage. When some media personnel responded that it is not very easy to dig for information as officials are tightlipped on the issue, Revanth replied that it is for the media to dig and investigate and bring to light such issues.
MODIJI SKIPS JALEBIS DURING TEMPLE VISIT
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi came visiting to their area, the ghee jalebi makers from around the Ujjaini Mahankali temple in Secunderabad were hoping that he could taste their famous sweetmeats. But then, security for a PM’s visit is extremely tight and the last-minute hopes that Modi may take a bite of their jalebis, and possibly give their business a boost, did not happen.
BRS SCARED AS TOUGH TASKMAN EMPLOYED FOR KALESHWARAM
The visit to Telangana state by the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) team has apparently sent jitters among the top ranks of the BRS. After all, it was their government that built the Kaleshwaram project whose barrages are now in various states of danger. After the Congress government wrote to the Union jal shakti ministry seeking an expert NDSA team be appointed, some top BRS leaders were tasked with trying to ensure someone “reasonable” would head the team. To their dismay, the jal shakti ministry announced that the tough-as-nails Chandrashekar Iyer, a former Central Water Commission chairman known for his no-nonsense approach to problems, would lead the team. Now, the BRS leaders are reportedly waiting for the NDSA report, hoping that their party leadership will be spared.
KAPU LEADER MIFFED BY PAWAN’S IGNORE
Mudragada Padmanabham, the prominent Kapu community leader who was once thought of as chief minister material, has been given a rude jolt by a fellow Kapu leader, film star and Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan. Mudragada, who used to give the odd jolt to fellow politicians, received one from Pawan Kalyan, whose emissaries visited him at his house in Kirlampudi in Kakinada district thrice in the recent past and requested him to join Jana Sena, with the offer that Pawan Kalyan would visit him and invite him to join the party. Following this, Mudragada made arrangements for a big rally from Prathipadu to welcome Pawan Kalyan with a convoy of some 500 cars and 2,000 bikes, but the Jana Sena chief kept putting off his visit. More humiliation was in the offing with Mudragada expecting he would be invited to the first joint public meeting of the Telugu Desam and the Jana Sena at Tadepalligudem, but that too did not happen leaving him high and dry.
NAIDU FALLS PREY TO FAKE NEWS
Getting the right information before launching a political attack is always a good idea. TD supremo N. Chandrababu Naidu learnt this all over again after his attack, following “news” of social media that the Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy government had mortgaged the state Secretariat building to raise funds. Naidu jumped at this, hitting out at Jagan, only to realise that he was barking up the wrong tree after the AP government clarified that the word doing the rounds on social media was fake.
CROWDPULLING A MESSY AFFAIR
How to get a crowd for an event headlined by a minister? Send messages making it mandatory for folks to attend. This is precisely what happened for AP tourism minister R.K. Roja, who planned a meeting on March 7 to celebrate Women’s Day, with a senior education department official sending messages on WhatsApp to teachers and anganwadi workers to attend the event in Puttur. Critics soon slammed the minister for misusing her office and her stature in the government to rustle up a crowd, even amidst charges that such fiats from officials, eager to please their political bosses, are becoming more common these days.
CAREER IN POLITICS, BUT AT THE RISK OF LOSING JOBS
It is a do or die situation for many government employees who applied for party tickets to contest the Adilabad Lok Sabha seat in the upcoming elections as entering politics means quitting their jobs, and this is precisely what the Congress and the BJP asking such aspirants to do first to prove how serious they are about their venturing into the electoral hurly burly. Caught in this dilemma are said to be not just officials at the middle and senior levels in different government departments but also some teachers. The parties say prove your interest, but the question facing these aspirants is what if they don’t get that ticket they are seeking. They would not have their jobs as well.
