Ministers, including all YSR loyalists, take oath afresh

HYDERABAD: Ending three days of confusion, ministers of the erstwhile Cabinet of Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, including all the loyalists of the late chief minister, were today sworn in afresh as required under the Constitution.

They were administered oath of office and secrecy by Governor N D Tiwari at a brief ceremony at Raj Bhavan here.

The oath-taking ended all speculation whether YSR loyalists who were clamouring for making his son Jaganmohan Reddy as the next chief minister, would join the government under interim Chief Minister K Rosaiah with the Congress high command invervening and asking them not to precipitate matters during the mourning period that ends next Thursday.

Earlier, AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh held discussions with Rajya Sabha member K V P Ramachandra Rao, who was adviser to YSR, and impressed on him that loyalists of the late chief minister should also join the government.

Some seven to eight ministers of YSR cabinet, including P Ramachandra Reddy, J Krishna Rao and Syed Ahmadullah, were reportedly reluctant to join the Rosaiah government.

The YSR loyalists held a meeting with Ramachandra Rao who counselled them to give up their diffidence and take oath.