TURKISH DIPLOMAT - FRIEND OR FOE?

The glocal phenomenon ties up the elite in strange knots. Every week, or month, the country of Turkey, now re-named Türkiye, so as not to be confused with the bird, creates controversies on the global stage. Yet again, their President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, had a provocative conversation on Kashmir with Shehbaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Local elites, however, love the Turkish consulate general, especially when it comes to parties and inviting them to social gatherings. Diplomats, with their charm and contacts, are great guests, worthy of being shown off at these parties. The previous Turkish Consul General in Hyderabad, Adnan Altay Altinors and his wife Kubra, were feted like stars in Hyderabad’s top gatherings. The Iftar party thrown by the Turkish CG used to see a literal who’s who of the city. Will the elite now continue to flock to their parties, or invite the big diplomats from there, despite their country’s constant anti-India tirades?

The city’s elite will now surely be test for their patriotism.

KTR’S CORPORATE PRACTICES SHINE BRIGHT

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IT minister K.T. Rama Rao is the only Cabinet minister in Telangana state to release an annual performance report of each of his departments, promptly, since 2015. KTR often receives praise from officials and staff for bringing in a certain degree of ‘corporate culture’ to his departments by releasing these reports. These reports, his staff say, are helping them set a dashboard context of actual situations, development goals ahead, execution plans, needs to mobilise human and financial resources, etc. KTR often faces questions from media personnel over why his other Cabinet colleagues haven’t been releasing their annual performance reports, for which he most recently evaded a direct reply saying "you better ask them". KTR says no one has requested or demanded these reports, including the opposition parties, but he has decided to go ahead with it because he wishes to inform people what his departments have achieved and their future plans.

CM’S FAVOURITE BABU YET TO BE REPLACED

Even after six months since the-then Siddipet Collector P. Venkatrami Reddy quit civil services to join politics, the state government is yet to find a replacement for him. Venkatrami Reddy’s vitriolic outburst against the judiciary, in which he said that even if the Supreme Court or High Court ordered it, he would not let any farmer in his district sow paddy went viral recently. Reddy, whose family runs a big real estate firm, escaped punishment in a contempt case after the courts took a lenient view. The former collector, who quit on November 15 last year and joined the TRS, and was made an MLC the next day, was known to be one of the favourite IAS officers of Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao for which he was made Collector for the CM’s home district Medak soon after formation of Telangana state in 2014. After the trifurcation of Medak into Siddipet, Sangareddy and Medak districts in 2016, the CM appointed him as the Siddipet Collector, a post he continued to hold until he took VRS. It is uncommon for any officer to serve such a long tenure at a single place or post. Sangareddy Collector M. Hanumantha Rao, who was given full additional charge (FAC) of Siddipet district after Reddy, too opted for VRS in November 2021. He continues to hold FAC of Siddipet district even after six months though. Even Medak Collector S. Harish is holding additional charge of Medchal- Malkajgiri district since August 2021. Collectors in KCR’s home district (undivided Medak) are shuttling between two districts due to these additional responsibilities sending quite a few tongues wagging about this unusual practice.

TRS CHANTS NTR MANTRA

The demand to confer the Bharat Ratna on the late N.T. Rama Rao has been pending for a long time. The Centre has not yet taken a decision on the proposal, made several times by the Telugu Desam due to unavoidable reasons. The TD is demanding that the Bharat Ratna be given to NTR who founded the Telugu Desam and brought revolutionarychanges in Andhra Pradesh politics in the 1980s. TRS ministers and leaders, whilepaying tribute to the cine superstar and political legend at NTR Ghat on his 99th birth anniversary, reiterated the demand. TRS Parliamentarian Nama Nageswara Rao, whowas previously in the TD, said, "NTR deserves the Bharat Ratna for his services to the Telugu states. Our party will put this demand before the Union government in the coming Parliament session." TD cadres are whispering that everyone except them is using NTR’s name for political gains. YSRC chief and AP Chief Minister stole the Telugu Desam’s thunder when he named a district after NTR. Now, the TRS is using NTR’s name too, taking away a bit of the sheen from TD’s efforts to gain politically from the stalwart’s legacy.

WOMEN SCRIBES QUOTA, EH?

The Telangana state government is giving a big push supporting women journalists. They held a wonderful programme to felicitate women on Women’s Day. Next, when the time for issuing accreditation came, the Information and Public Relations (I&PR) department decided to impose some reservations. "We need you to reserve at least 33 per cent of all desk jobs for women," the I&PR babu suggested in the letter sent to editors. For decades, the media, before any other domain or industry, has had women ruling the roost, sirs. Almost generally, more than half the media staff comprises the women corps. Deccan Chronicle, whose previous Editor set the record as one of the longest-serving editors of a major national English newspaper in India, has always celebrated women power.