There has been some hyperactivity among the ministers and senior party leaders ever since chief minister Naidu hinted at a possible reshuffle of the cabinet to remove the deadwood and recruit some active members.
Ministers, who are used to laid-back style, are suddenly seen keeping themselves busy in the review meetings and promptly informing the media about the meetings. As chief minister Naidu is in the habit of regularly reviewing developmental works, that too at short notice, ministers have lost track and confined themselves to attending the programs of chief minister as cheer leaders. But, in the last TDP LP meeting and later in a meeting with cabinet ministers, Naidu expressed dissatisfaction that no minister had ever reviewed the works being implemented by his department.
In the same meeting he also revealed his mind about possible dropping of some ministers, whose performance was below par. This caution seems to be working well if one observes the activities of some minister in the past couple of days. The sudden spurt in the activities is more pronounced in the case of forest minister Bojjala Gopalakrishna Reddy , TR & B Siddha Raghava Rao and Welfare minister Ravela Kishore Babu. Incidentally they are the ministers who figure prominently in the media reports as ministers in the hit list.
Transport Minister Siddha Raghava Rao called a meeting with the officials of his by evening on the same evening, when Naidu expressed dissatisfaction.
Similarly, the next day, that is on Dec 22, forest minister Bojjala Gopalakrishna Reddy had held a day-long review meetings with the officials of his department from all 13 districts at Assembly committee hall, which is rare. During the meeting, attended by some MLAs also, Reddy reportedly issued directions to the officers concerned to take up new developmental works in his department. Raghava Rao and Gopalakrishna Reddy, according to sources, have scored poorly in the CMs assessment of performance. Deputy Chief Minister KE Krishnamurthy, who holds Revenue portfolio, also held an emergency review meeting with the officers of revenue department on Dec 23. The revenue department is on job rectifying the errors that crept into first and second phase of ‘Mee Intiki- Mee Bhoomi’ (your land at your doorsteps) program, aimed at rectifying the digitized revenue records, the Deputy Chief Minister asked the Tahsildars and other revenue officials to rectify the errors by Dec 31. “If it is not done, collectors of respective district are free to act against such revenue officials,” KE warned.
Krishnamurthy, senior most leader in party and the cabinet, is also said to have been listed as poor performer. Some other ministers such as IT Minister Palle Raghunatha Reddy, Civil Supplies Minister Paritala Sunitha, Mines Minister Peethala Sujaha, Excise Minister Kollu Ravindra and Housing Minister Kimidi Mrunalini have also started reviewing the departmental works not to lag behind. The problem Palle is facing is a comparison with Telangana IT minister, K T Ramarao, who is rated as one of the best ministers in the T-cabinet.
The ministers vying with each other in attacking Opposition leader YS Jaganmohan Reddy as well. The abusive language used by some TDP leaders in Assembly in retaliation to Roja’s unparliamentary epithets is seen as the cheap tactic to attract the attention of their boss. Ministers need to take precaution that their hyper activism is not misfired.
