In a sudden major political development, Deputy Chief Minister Dr T Rajaiah resigned from the cabinet of Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and he has been replaced with Warangal MP Kadiam Srihari.
The entire development took place in a span of less than two hours. According to sources, KCR conveyed his decision to sack Rajaiah, who was also holding the Medical & Health portfolio, from the cabinet in a meeting that he held with senior party leaders at his camp office on Sunday afternoon. Subsequently, Dr Rajaiah was asked to give resignation which was carried to Governor ESL Narasimhan at Raj Bhavan by ministers T Harish Rao, Talasani Srinivas Yadav and others. The Governor immediately accepted the resignation.
Further, the Governor was informed that Kadiam Srihari would be inducted as the new minister in KCR's cabinet. In less than an hour, the Chief Minister, his other cabinet colleagues, Nizamabad MP K Kavitha and others reached Raj Bhavan. Srihari was then administered oath as a member of KCR's cabinet at a hurriedly organised simple ceremony at Raj Bhavan.
KCR has reportedly decided to remove Rajaiah following his failure to handle the Swine Flu situation. Some alleged irregularities in the Medical and Health Department are also said to have prompted KCR to take this stern step.