First time in the history of Andhra Pradesh, Cabinet failed to meet

The Cabinet meeting scheduled for Saturday failed to take off.

This is the first time that in the history of Andhra Pradesh, a Cabinet meeting did not meet as per schedule. The monthly sitting on July 16, as 12 (Telangana ministers) of the 38 (excluding 2 exits) Cabinet, quit for Telangana and the Ministers from Coastal Andhra kept off for some reasons known to them.

According to Chief Minister Office, the Cabinet agenda was kept ready but without a nod from Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy the agenda was not dispatched. An aide said that there was no need to further suffer any embarrassment in the already embroiled environment.

When the Chief Minister had summoned the Cabinet Sub-Committee only two of the 10 members of the Sub Committee turned up to discuss the issues that would come up before the Cabinet.

This is the first time the Chief Minister was missing a Cabinet meeting. He is said to have expressed displeasure over the incident.

Mr Kiran Kumar Reddy has never missed even a review meeting even if it was delayed by three to four hours.

Seven of Kiran’s missing Cabinet colleagues, 15 Congress MLAs and as many MLCs took part in the meeting convened by the Samakya Andhra Forum in Vijayawada on Saturday.

The meeting demanded action on “separatists” who were fanning hatred among Telugus and urged the Centre to follow the Srikrishna Committee’s recommendations.

Former Minister  J C Diwakar Reddy suggested sharing of Chief Ministership between Telangana and Coastal Andhra regions, as a solution to the problem.

Sources said that the bureaucrats foresaw the predicament and have set the process of clearance of urgent business with a recent executive order which has given ‘green channel’ clearance for all financial approvals for welfare and urgent development activities. 

Most of the strategic expenditures need not come to Cabinet for clearance at all and are addressed in a routine manner, said a Finance Ministry official.

The Chief Minister is understood to have a meeting with the Governor E S L Narasimhan for nearly two hours.

The Governor, who returned from New Delhi briefed the CM on what has to be done and how to handle the Telangana stir mostly from the employees and politicians front.

Governor seems to have established a direct liaison with the bureaucrats in Secretariat and summons most of them whenever he wanted a file clarified or explained even after the approval by the state Cabinet and recommendation of the Chief Minister .

This week he cleared proposals for Vice-Chancellors of three universities from a list of proposals for eight universities.

He is also in daily telephone conference with police officials and weekly sessions with the Director General of Police on the status of intelligence on the Telangana agitation.

The Governor had prior information about the State Government employees plan to go on strike even before the media and the state government.

He advised the Chief Minister to be away on the day they were to serve the strike notice.