Sulking Andhra ministers fall in line, assumes office

HYDERABAD - After a stern warning from the Congress’s central leadership, Vatti Vasanth Kumar, who in a huff resigned from the cabinet Dec 1 a few hours after being sworn-in, and other sulking senior ministers Wednesday assumed office.

Vasanth Kumar took charge as the tourism minister after he returned from New Delhi, where he met party president Sonia Gandhi and other leaders.

Some other senior ministers, who were unhappy with Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy for allotting them “insignificant” portfolios, and had not assumed their charge also followed suit.

Vasanth Kumar quit Dec 1 hours after he along with 38 other ministers was sworn in. He held the rural development portfolio in the earlier cabinet.

Ponnala Lakshmaiah, who too was sulking after losing major irrigation portfolio, assumed office as minister for information technology.

Botsa Satyanarayana, who had openly expressed unhappiness over getting the transport portfolio instead of panchayat raj, assumed office Tuesday. Dharmana Prasada Rao also took over as roads and buildings minister though he was unhappy over losing revenue department.

These ministers, along with others, held a meeting Dec 2 and openly voiced their protest over the Reddy community bagging almost all key portfolios. They reluctantly participated in the maiden cabinet meeting after the intervention by the central leadership.

Botsa had told reporters after the meeting that the high command assured them that portfolios would be re-allocated to ensure social justice.

The central leadership, which called the senior ministers to Delhi, reportedly warned them against showing dissent and directed them to immediately take charge.