Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy never fails to surprise the media. In the latest expansion of the ministry too, he kept the cards close to his chest till the last minute.
The selection – Uttam Kumar Reddy (Huzurnagar, Nalgonda) and Prasad Kumar (Vikarabad, Rangareddy) from Telangana region and Kondru Murali Mohan (Rajam, Srikakulam) from Andhra – bears the stamp of Kiran Kumar Reddy, who seems to have had the last laugh in the much delayed exercise of cabinet expansion.
Uttam Kumar Reddy is likely to get Medical Department (also helps CM to cut the wings of dissident DL Ravindra Reddy, Medical & Health Minister), Kondru Murali,Rural Water Supply Department and Prasad Kumar, Textiles (vacated by the dismissed Shankar Rao).
Contrary to reports, Kiran chose to induct one more Minister from coastal Andhra, Kondru Murali Mohan, who is presently government whip in the Assembly. Murali Mohan, second time MLA from Rajam in Srikakulam district, belongs to Mala sub-caste among SCs.
That the CM picked him over Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, another Mala from Telangana, is significant.
Murali Mohan, who contested thrice against TDP’s Pratibha Bharathi and won twice, was earlier thought to be favourable to Jagan. He was apparently prevailed upon by the CM to keep his cool, and thus was reportedly rewarded with a ministerial portfolio.
Dr P Shankar Rao’s removal from the cabinet caused considerable discontent among a section but Kiran sought to contain the dissidence by choosing a non-controversial SC from Vikarabad Prasad Kumar.
Prasad Kumar is also a Mala, and this may not go very well with the dominant Madiga sections within Telangana. The two-time MLA is said to have the blessings of Deputy Chief Minister Domadar Raja Narasimha. Prasad Kumar is also regarded as a foil to another Minister from Rangareddy district Sabitha Indra Reddy.
Uttam Kumar Reddy’s name has been doing the rounds for quite some time because of his political and personal proximity to Kiran Kumar Reddy. A former Air Force pilot, Uttam is a third-term MLA and is regarded as non-controversial.
His only political opponents in Nalgonda districts are the Komatireddy brothers, and no wonder, Kiran chose him to fill the gap created by Komatireddy Venkat Reddy’s resignation.
The manner in which the cabinet expansion was carried out clearly shows that Kiran at last has started calling the shots in determing the cantours of the government that he is heading. The fact that both Uttam Kumar Reddy and Prasad Kumar are not known as hardcore separatists on the issue of Telangana is also an indication that Kiran’s choice prevailed in the selection.
