Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh): The reconstitution of the Council of Ministers in Andhra Pradesh would be undertaken soon and those being removed from the posts of minister “would be entrusted with party responsibilities”, Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy said on Tuesday.
“We are at it…We will finalise (the list) soon,” Jagan told YSR Congress legislators at the Legislature Party meeting. Though the initial plan, as he had announced while taking over as Chief Minister in May 2019, was to replace all incumbent ministers after two-and-a-half years and form a new team, Jagan now hinted that some of them might be allowed to continue “because of caste equations”. The revamp was supposed to be carried out in December last year but the exercise was put off for various reasons, including the Covid-19 pandemic.
Now with the districts of the state being divided and doubled, the Chief Minister said he has decided to go ahead with the Cabinet rejig after April 2. He maintained that “removal from the Cabinet did not mean pushing them aside”. “Some of them will be made presidents of the district party units and some others will be appointed as regional coordinators. We are giving the party responsibilities to them since they gained an elevation and personal reputation as ministers,” Jagan said.
“You will have the capacity to lead the party. You win (the next election) and also make others win and you will come back into the Cabinet. The system would continue like this,” the YSRC chief added. Jagan directed his MLAs to undertake door-to-door visits from now on. “We have completed 34 months…almost three years. Nothing is more effective than going door-to-door. For a person to win as an MLA and sit in the Assembly, he has to necessarily undertake door-to-door campaigns at least three times. If it is not done at least twice, victory will be a question mark, however good an MLA maybe,” the Chief Minister said.
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