As part of intensifying his counter attack against the opposition YSRC, chief minister Chandrababu Naidu is reportedly planning to recruit strong frontline commandos into the government. Because, Naidu is expecting more virulent criticism from the desperate Opposition leader YS Jaganmohan Reddy. Jagan may launch agitation in the name bauxite or liquor ban, call money, Capital construction and on every issue that comes in his way as he is too desperate to instigate some agitation in the state. His pet topic ‘special status’ failed to snowball into a Telangana like movement by students and youth of Andhra Pradesh. Naidu is of view that Jagan’s next call of port would be Bauxite. So, he wants effective spokesmen in the government to counter the ‘false propaganda’ by YSRC.
In order to rebut the charges effectively, according to sources in the party, the CM is mulling over a cabinet reshuffle. The CM is said to have dropped enough hints at the much awaited exercise last evening when he held an informal meeting with ministers available at that time.
There has been speculation for quite some time that Naidu wants to remove the dead weight from the cabinet in order give a fresh look after 18 months. After many reviews and performance assessment by himself and party’s ideological powerhouse Nara Lokesh, sources said, four to five members are likely to be dropped and those who performed well outside the government are expected to replace them. The names doing rounds are chief whip Kaluva Srinivasulu, MLCs Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy,Gali Muddukrishnama Naidu, MLAs Gorantla Butchaiah Choudary etc.
Party sources said the CM had told the ministers in last evening’s meeting that he was thinking of dropping non-performing ministers soon.
During the meeting Naidu referred to two things as criteria for dropping. They are a) non-performance and b) corruption charges he received from the party circles. “I am not happy with the performance of some of you,” he told the ministers.”You are not sparing enough time to hold review meetings with the officials of your departments. I have received complaints that you are not accessible to the party cadre as well. Then, what is the fun of having you in the cabinet?” the Chief Minister reportedly asked he ministers.
However, skeptics among the MLAs say it ‘s Naidu’s strategy to keep the ministers on tenterhooks when he received the complaints from party leaders. They say there won’t be any reshuffle as there are too many aspirants to be accommodated. Naidu can’t afford to stir up the hornet’s nest by dropping ministers in the name of non-performance or corruption charges,” they remarked.
