Rumour mills work overtime, officials adopt laid back approach

Uncertainty is now rife in the State Capital as regards the 'stability' factor has claimed among others the functioning of the administration in the state Secretariat, the seat of state head quarters.

With the atmosphere turning tense by the day, the officials, particularly the staff, started deserting their offices even before the stipulated timing.

By and large, the presentation has been poor as the officials too, taking advantage of the situation which emanated from rumours and the Ministers also going about issuing rejoinders.

Resultantly the work suffered.

The usual crowds at the main gate also diminished unlike during the YSR rule or Rosaiah's rule when there were frantic efforts by the milling visitors to gain entry into the Secretariat.

That is quite conspicuous by the absence of visitors who are outnumbered by the paramilitary and AP forces around.

It appears that Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy is in no mood to go into such details which is bound to turn worse and to the disadvantage of all and sundry.

If the same situation or trend continues for some more time, the sincere officers may also lose confidence and the work is bound to suffer further.

Speaking to the media persons at an informal conversation after meeting the Chief Minister, Panchayat Raj Minister K Jana Reddy however negated the idea that there shall be a change of guard in AP within such a short time as portrayed by the channels.

Making light of the television channels airing speculations that a change of guard is in the offing, Mr Jana Reddy opined that credibility was eluding these channels as their depiction was baseless.

“It is only their imagination,” he maintained replying to a question that his name figured prominently for the Chief Minister's post. "Name is there but there is no post," said the seasoned politician who had the distinction of working as a Cabinet Minister in two political parties,

in the Telugu Desam Party as NTR's favourite and again back in the Congress as Minister.

He also quoted an old proverb narrating a story how a shepherd boy fell a prey to a wolf after spreading a rumour.

He compared this with the current channels which gave room for falsehood. "At last when the

true picture emerges the channels will fail," he said in a lighter vein.

Without verifying facts and airing baseless reports, the channels were trying to mislead their viewers as a result their credibility was a stake, the Minister observed.