Revanth Reddy takes ‘me, myself, I ‘ way; quietly eliminates Dy CM Bhatti’s photograph from Ads
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy is slowly taking to 'me, myself, I' route, dropping Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka's picture from Government Ads.
HYDERABAD: Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy seems to be quietly giving a go-by to the collective leadership formula which he had portrayed initially.
What could cause a terrible embarrassment to Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, who is the head of State exchequer in his capacity as Minister for Finance, the Telangana Government dropped his photograph from a Government advertisement which publicised doling out of appointment letters to 5,192 selected candidates.
Revanth Reddy is handing over letters of appointment to selected applicants for the posts of lecturers, teachers, constables and some posts in medical and health departments on Monday.
The State Government is organising a function to hand over the letters at L B Stadium.
Accordingly, newspapers advertisements were released in which the photograph of the Deputy Chief Minister was conspicuous by its absence.
So far, the government advertisements relating to its schemes are carrying the photographs of the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister along with ministers concerned with this schemes.
But, Monday’s Ads conveniently avoided Bhatti Vikramarka’s picture.
In fact, either to comply with the diktat of the Congress high command or to demonstrate an unusual camaraderie, Revanth Reddy always had Bhatti Vikramarka flanking him on all
Important occasions. Bhatti was taken along when Revanth Reddy had called on Prime Minister on December 26 for the first time.
Bhatti was also there with him when they had called on Congress matriarch Sonia Gandhi on that day.
Bhatti was a hot favourite for the top job of the Chief Minister soon after the elections.
Bhatti was very disappointed with the Congress high command for not being rewarded with the top honour despite doing a padayatra for over 1,700 km in 13 districts before the elections and also effectively leading the Congress flock from the front in the erstwhile Telangana Assembly.
When the high command had picked Revanth Reddy, the TPCC president as the Chief Minister, Bhatti was tipped not the post of Dy CM.
However, Revanth Reddy tried to trickily impose one more Deputy Chief Minister into his Cabinet to balance out Bhatti’s power.
However, typical of a seasoned Congress politician that he is, Bhatti stood his ground and argued for just one post of the Deputy CM and that should be he alone.
The Congress leadership had to grapple with the situation and finally had to concede to Bhatti’s demand owing to the water-thin majority it had secured in the number of Assembly seats.
Ever since, the Deputy Chief Minister has become an essential component of the decision-making process.
Allotment of Pragathi Bhavan residence vacated by KCR to Bhatti was another gesture that Revanth Reddy had to do grudgingly.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister was irked by the statement of Bhatti’s wife, Nandini Mallu, that she was also disappointed with the Congress high command for not elevating her husband as the Chief Minister.
Nandini has thrown her hat into the proverbial rink staking claim for the Congress ticket from Khammam Lok Sabha seat. She is vying with Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy’s brother and Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao’s son Yugandhar. She took over a massive car rally from Khammam to Hyderabad in over 1,000 cars to file her application for the Congress MP ticket.
If she gets the ticket and wins, she will be operating from Delhi and that would surely turn into a thorn in Revanth Reddy’s flesh.
In a bid to preempt that situation and scuttle her chances, Revanth Reddy took out a trump card of appealing to Sonia Gandhi, then Priyanka Gandhi and now Rahul Gandhi to contest from Khammam. While it’s clear with Sonia’s election to Rajya Sabha and Priyanka’s reticence to contest from Telangana, Revanth Reddy is portraying Khammam as the safest bet for Rahul Gandhi. Also Read: Why is Rahul Gandhi looking at Telangana? Why not Karnataka? Is he searching for safe seat?
Whatever may happen with this, but Revanth Reddy is slowly sidelining the Deputy Chief Minister.
The Chief Minister may take refuge in the argument that since jobs has no specific department and the General Administration Department is directly handled by himself, Monday’s advertisement did not have the picture of the Deputy CM.
But, that will only be a ploy to cover up the attempt to put Bhatti Vikramarka in his place.
It has to be seen how effectively Bhatti Vikramarka will counter this and assert his position.
Take a look the various advertisements released earlier, which are embedded here.