Amaravati: Reconstitution of the Andhra Pradesh Cabinet on Monday triggered a rebellion in the ruling YSR Congress on an unprecedented scale as the party cadre took to the streets and organised protests in many districts but by evening all seemed to have fizzled out. Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy called his former Cabinet colleague Balineni Srinivasa Reddy to his residence in the evening and spoke his mind. Coming out of the CM's residence, Balineni said everything was sorted out and Jagan Mohan Reddy asked him to work for the party.
"I am loyal to the YSR family and Jagan. I agreed to follow what Jagan said," the sulking ex-minister said. He, however, denied having offered to resign from his MLA post in protest against non-induction into the Cabinet again. Though his supporters in his native Prakasam district were perturbed, Balineni said everything would subside. Asked about the resignation threat by elected representatives in Prakasam district, including Ongole Municipal Corporation, Balineni said he would ask them to back off.
Balineni, who was the first to trigger the rebellion on Sunday after names of the new Cabinet ministers were announced, reportedly sent a message to the YSRC leadership that he would step down from his MLA post. Balineni's supporters organised road blockades in Ongole and some other parts of Prakasam district, demanding that he be re-inducted into the Cabinet. Elected representatives of local bodies, including the Ongole Municipal Corporation, threatened to quit their posts if Balineni was not made a minister again.
On Sunday, YSRC general secretary S R K Reddy visited Balineni's residence in Vijayawada twice and held talks but failed to placate the seething leader. On Monday again Reddy came rushing to Balineni and took him to the Chief Minister to stem the trouble. Former Home Minister M Sucharita, who was denied a second stint, submitted her resignation from the MLA post. She held a meeting with the party workers in Guntur, at the same time the new Cabinet was being inducted, and told them she was quitting as a legislator "due to personal reasons."
Sucharita was ostensibly peeved over not being re-inducted into the Cabinet when fellow Dalits like T Vanita and others were taken back. She, however, claimed she was only unhappy over the manner in which she was dropped. She was said to have handed over her resignation letter to Rajya Sabha member Mopidevi Venkata Ramana, who went to her residence in Guntur to placate her. Sucharita maintained she was not unhappy over not getting a second chance and would continue in the party. Interestingly, there has so far been no reaction from the party to her threats.
In Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao district, followers of Jaggaiahpet MLA Samineni Udayabhanu burnt a two-wheeler and tyres and staged a rasta-roko, blocking traffic on the busy National Highway-65, protesting denial of a Cabinet berth for their leader. He was denied a berth because of a "coterie" around Jagan Mohan Reddy, Udayabhanu lamented. In neighbouring Krishna district, MP Venkata Ramana met disgruntled MLA K Parthasarathy to pacify the latter after his followers organised protests. Ramana later met Udayabhanu as well.
In Palnadu district, four-time MLA Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy went incommunicado, sulking over denial of ministership even as his supporters held protests in Macherla constituency. In Anakapalli district, senior legislator Karanam Dharma Sri's supported staged a rasta-roko but he asked them to desist from organising any protests against the party interests. Dharma Sri, however, turned emotional and said he was upset over being overlooked for a Cabinet post.
PTI
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