Ministers face flak from within BJP

Hyderabad: Two BJP ministers in the AP Cabinet are facing different situations.
While endowments minister P. Manikyala Rao, who is a long-time BJP leader, is unpopular among some TD leaders and ministers for his independent style of functioning and for not always toeing the TD line, medical health minister, Mr Kamineni Srinivas, who had joined the BJP just before the elections, has good relations with everyone, leading to some junior BJP leaders complaining that he does not have the party’s interest at heart.

According to sources, a top TD leader has even complained to BJP Union minister M. Venkaiah Naidu against Mr Rao’s style of functioning. The TD leader allegedly told Mr Venkaiah, “Our party minister in the Union Cabinet P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, follows every direction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But in the state, BJP’s Manikyala Rao is not following the CM’s directions.”
TD leaders say that if Mr Rao continues this way, the government may face problems.

Mr Naidu had directed all ministers not to appoint staff who had worked for Congress ministers in the earlier government. And while everyone else complied, Mr Rao continued with his private secretary who had been the private secretary of minister Mr Thota Narasimham in the previous Congress government.

However, Mr Thota Narasimham had joined the BJP before the polls and was elected as MP from the Kakinada Lok Sabha constituency and Mr Manikyala Rao’s argument is that when the TDP has no objection about Congress leaders joining the party, why does it object to employees who had worked in Congress ministers’ peshis?

On the other hand, Medical Health Minister, Mr Kamineni Srinivas, has good relations with every one. Since he is new to the BJP, he treats TDP and BJP workers and leaders the same. This has led to some second-rung BJP leaders complaining that he is functioning like a TDP minister instead of a BJP minister.