Kiran Reddy govt in trouble with ministers quitting on portfolio allocation

HYDERABAD: Trouble is brewing in the Kiran Kumar Reddy government in Andhra Pradesh barely a day after 39 ministers were sworn in. Two ministers have already quit the ministry unhappy with the portfolios given to them. Ten more ministers are said to be unsatisfied and want to go to Delhi to meet Sonia Gandhi to represent their cases to her.

Early on Thursday, a few unhappy ministers met at the home of one of them, called up Sonia's political secretary, Ahmed Patel, and requested him to organize a meeting with "Madam". However, Patel is believed to have told them to stay put in Hyderabad and await the arrival of AICC members Ghulam Nabi Azad and Veerappa Moily. The ministers were also advised to attend the cabinet meeting scheduled for later in the day.

Analysts say some of the complaining ministers are obviously Jaganmohan Reddy men and the strategy is planned beforehand. "This is Jagan a tactic. Everyone is anticipating that he will break the party but he might keep his men in the Congress and goad them on to subvert from within," a political analyst said. One of the ministers, Komtireddy Venkatreddy, who resigned held the IT portfolio under Rosaiah but has now been given charge of infrastructure and investments. How his latest portfolios are inferior to the ones he held before is difficult to figure out.

Other ministers are unhappy because the ministers belonging to the Reddy caste have got plum pickings. There are 14 Reddy ministers in the 39-member ministry. The porfolio allocation, late on Wednesday evening, preceded by heavy-duty lobbying and counterlobbying that went on for two days.

Meanwhile, Jagan who had a face-off with his uncle Vivekananda on Tuesday had another meeting with him on Thursday morninig. What transpired is not known but sources said that Jagan is not willing let go of his uncle so easily