Collectors to hoist flag at AP Day fest

HYDERABAD: The state cabinet on Saturday decided that district collectors, rather than ministers, will hoist the national flag on AP Formation Day, November 1. This is a ploy to assuage the feelings of ministers from Telangana who are wary of celebrating an occasion being bitterly opposed by people of their region.However, the chief minister will hoist the flag in the state capital at the NTR Stadium. Telangana separatist groups have called a boycott of the celebrations and Congress leaders in the region feel impelled to obey the diktat. Considering the predicament of Telangana ministers, the Kiran Kumar Reddy cabinet decided to ask district collectors to preside over the event and hoist the national flag to mark the day. No minister from Seemandhra raised an objection to this decision although they would have to stay away from celebrating an occasion they fully support.This was the first meeting of the 37-member cabinet at Secretariat in four months. The last meeting, on August 16, had to be held at chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy’s camp office because ministers from Telangana had resigned and had sworn not to visit Secretariat till the Centre took a decision on the Telangana issue.There was much bonhomie save the fact that K Jana Reddy, Ponnala Lakshmaiah, P Shankar Rao, Galla Aruna Kumari and P Viswarup were missing. Interestingly, textiles minister Shankar Rao did go to C Block before the meeting began but left the venue immediately after signing the attendance register. He gave the ruse that no issue pertaining to his department was on the agenda. “I have an important assignment to attend and will come back,” he said as he left.Tourism minister Vatti Vasant Kumar took exception to Shankar Rao’s recent allegations against some colleagues and urged the chief minister to take action against him. “One minister (referring to Shankar Rao) has become problematic and the CM should take action against him. He is lowering the government’s image by making corruption charges against his colleagues (home minister P Sabita Reddy and excise minister M Venkataramana). People will lose faith in parliamentary democracy because of the minister’s behaviour,” he said.Without giving scope to the others to make any further comments, Kiran Kumar Reddy asked Vatti not to raise the issue as the high command was seized of it.On Rachabanda-II, the chief minister directed all the ministers, including those from Telangana, to take part in it and make it a success. Intervening, transport minister and PCC president Botcha Satyanarayana suggested that district in-charge ministers participate in Rachabanda particularly in constituencies where the party has no representation in the Assembly or the local Congress MLAs were sailing with YSR Congress.Satyanarayana asked all the ministers to hold meetings with the district Congress leaders and finalise candidates for the post of DCC president of their respective districts.