In a significant development, senior Congress party MLA from Gangadhara Nellore in Chittoor district G Kuthuhalamma on Monday expressed displeasure over Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy’s attitude and his style of functioning.
Ms Kuthuhalamma’s comments against the Chief Minister come on a day when Congress In-Charge of Andhra Pradesh Affairs Ghulam Nabi Azad arrived in the state Capital to take stock of the situation following the party’s embarrassing showing in the recently held by-elections for the Kadapa Lok Sabha and Pulivendula Assembly constitutencies.
Talking to media persons at Congress Legislature Party Office, the five-time MLA alleged that Chief Minister, though hailing from Chittor district, has not taking every one into confidence while taking policy decision regarding the district.
She also made a ‘subtle’ move to put pressure on the Chief Minister by saying that she was interested in getting a Cabinet berth. “As a senior leader from the district, I am expecting a Cabinet berth in the ministry,” she said.
Ms Kuthuhalamma further alleged that the district has also been poorly represented in the state Cabinet and added that this was a major injustice.
She alleged the Chief Minister has no action plan and strategy to develop the district. “If the people of Chittoor are not happy about the Chief Minister’s style of functioning, what about the people of other districts,” Ms Kuthuhalamma asked. She added that the administration in the state has been paralysed due to Mr Kiran Kumar Reddy’s style of functioning.
“Though I am not calling for the Chief Minister to be replaced, the High Command should direct Mr Kiran Kumar Reddy to change his style of functioning,” the senior MLA stated.
Responding to MLA Dharmanna Krishnadas’s statement that he has no idea about Congress party president Sonia Gandhi, but he had won the 2009 election on ‘YSR’s grace,’ Ms Kuthuhalamma said that sometimes some elected representatives make such statements since they forget that they are representing the Congress.
These comments made by someone as senior as Ms Kuthuhalamma, particularly because of the fact that she hails from the Chief Minister’s home turf are seen as a signal that all is not well in the state Congress.