Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said on Friday that the party leadership will consider for Cabinet berths, only MLAs who won the Assembly polls on a Congress ticket and not those who defected to the ruling party.
Revanth Reddy made these comments during an informal chat with media personnel in Delhi, where he is camping for the fifth day with senior ministers. On the agenda are the appointment of a TPCC chief to replace Revanth Reddy, whose three-year tenure ended on June 27, Cabinet expansion and BRS MLAs joining the Congress.
Revanth Reddy along with Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy met AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and AICC general secretary K.C. Venugopal.
No clarity emerged over when TPCC appointment chief and Cabinet expansion will take place, with Revanth Reddy stating that both will happen simultaneously whenever they happen. Speculation was rife that the new appointments would happen in July — first or second week — or after August 5 when auspicious Sravana masam begins.
There were reports that the BRS MLAs were joining the Congress after they were offered Cabinet berths and nominated posts.
The Chief Minister's fresh comments have led to a debate in party circles over the fate of the BRS MLAs who joined the Congress and the likely impact it would have on others wanting to defect to the ruling party. There are reports that the Congress leadership wants to take at least 20 more MLAs from the BRS.
Revanth Reddy said that the government would release guidelines for the Rs 2 lakh crop loan waiver scheme in the next four days. He said ration cards were not the only benchmark to get the waiver. The government will consider other options too. The waiver would be based on pattadar passbooks. Crop loans secured by mortgaging gold would not be considered.
He said that welfare schemes should not be treated as 'freebies' but stressed that the welfare schemes should reach only genuine beneficiaries.
