POLITICS

One-man army

Two months after a massive election victory, KCR finally expands his cabinet

26-K-Chandrashekar-Rao Lean cabinet: Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao (right) and Home Minister Mahmood Ali during their swearing in.

THIRTY YEARS AGO, in the undivided Andhra Pradesh, legendary Telugu actor and chief minister N.T. Rama Rao (NTR) committed a costly mistake. In early February 1989, the founder of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) disbanded his 31-member cabinet in a huff. The reason—details of the state budget had made it to the first page of a Telugu daily before it was presented in the assembly. Within a week of disbanding the cabinet, he formed a new one with fresh faces. But, this move was later cited as one of the reasons for NTR’s humiliating defeat in the assembly elections held later that year.

Cut to February 2019. It took Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao two months to form a proper cabinet despite winning 88 of 119 seats in the election held in December. He may not suffer the fate of NTR as there were no widespread protests or strong criticism from the civil society against his two-member cabinet.

Ten more members were inducted into the cabinet on February 19, but there was no representation for women or scheduled tribes. After the oath-taking ceremony in Hyderabad, party leaders said the next expansion will be more accommodative.

Interestingly, the state lacked a fully-functional cabinet for more than five months, as KCR had dissolved the assembly in September 2018.

The most absurd reason that made the rounds for the delay in cabinet expansion was the lack of auspicious dates. This reason gained traction because Rao was known to be religious and an ardent believer in astrology. But, a quick check with Hindu priests revealed that there were quite a few auspicious dates between December and February. Also, since Rao and Home Minister Mahmood Ali could be sworn in, why not others?

The opposition parties were more interested in the implications than the reasons behind the delay. The Congress had submitted a representation to Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan. “It was a constitutional violation,” said AICC spokesperson Sravan Dasoju. “The governor’s role in the state was defunct as according to Article 163 (1), the governor’s position is based on council of ministers.” Dasoju added that the governor was “acting like a puppet in the hands of the government” and not taking the “right decision”.

He also alleged that the administration had come to a grinding halt. “The entire government was paralysed,” said Dasoju. “The chief minister alone had to monitor around 280 departments. He is not a superhero. Thousands of files are waiting to be cleared.”

The Congress alleged that the cabinet expansion was delayed because the state was bankrupt. The Congress added that bills related to projects were not being paid, salaries were late and poll promises remained unfulfilled. However, the party decided against moving court.

The state unit of the BJP, with one MLA, has been reduced to a powerless entity. The party is worried that the Central schemes are not being implemented properly.

“It is a sad state of affairs,” said K. Laxman, Telangana BJP president. “The TRS went for early elections and got good results. Is it not time to solve people’s problems? Telangana is yet to make a decision on the Ayushman Bharat scheme and 10 per cent reservation for economically-backward people in general category.”

Bureaucrats had adopted a wait-and-watch approach in the past months. Apart from routine tasks and duties, no important decisions were being taken unless the chief minister had informed them personally.

Former MLC and political analyst K. Nageshwar said: “After assembly elections, there were panchayat and sarpanch elections. Soon there will be Parliament elections. It looks like KCR wanted his MLAs to work with full energy. Based on their performances and election results, they may be inducted into the cabinet.”

Nageshwar’s view is perhaps true as there are slots for a few more ministers. According to sources, the next cabinet expansion will take place only after Parliament elections.

Nageshwar added that since there was no regular cabinet for a long time, people could not hold anybody accountable as they do not know whom to target. “This is not advisable and is not good for democracy,” he said.

According to sources, handling the power centres within his family was also a reason for KCR to delay the cabinet expansion. His son K.T. Rama Rao and nephew Harish Rao have been kept out of the cabinet, for now. The impression being given is that both the leaders will be given key responsibilities for Parliament elections, and hence, are not part of the cabinet.

For now, the chief minister will be busy as ever. Even with the 12-member cabinet in place, most key portfolios remain with him.

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