Raging feud with CM cost DL Ravindra his job

HYDERABAD: The man who repeatedly tried to predict the timing of the ouster of his boss could not do so about himself and left the cabinet on Saturday unceremoniously.

DL Ravindra Reddy had to pay the price for his bellicose attitude towards his boss, chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy.

The senior legislator from Mydukur in Kadapa district turned a foe for Kiran the moment the latter assumed the chief minister's office a two and a half years ago. Since then he has remained a pain in the neck for Kiran with his strident criticism of the policies of his government.

Be it a meeting of the cabinet or the Congress, Ravindra Reddy used to fire salvos at the chief minister by picking holes in the policies of the government.

The acute power crisis in the state and Kiran's alleged lenient attitude towards the tainted ministers became weapons in his hands to attack his boss at cabinet meetings.

The differences between the two reached such a stage where both stopped seeing eye to eye and one of them even skipped government functions.

Kiran's brainchild, Bangaru Thalli, which is intended to provide financial security to girls, has widened the chasm between the two in the recent days.

Ravindra Reddy almost declared an open war on Kiran Kumarr over the scheme, saying that Kiran was not consulting cabinet colleagues before formulating new schemes. He went to the extent of calling upon people to drive away Congress leaders from villages if the scheme was not properly implemented.

Later, Ravindra Reddy held meetings with Kiran Reddy's detractors _ PCC chief Botcha Satyanarayana, deputy chief minister C Damodara Rajanarasimha and ministers K Jana Reddy and C Ramachandraiah _ which apparently steeled the resolve of the chief minister to act against the health minister.

2 more to get axe?

Following the dismissal of DL Ravindra Reddy from the cabinet, Congress circles wonder on whom will the axe fall next. The chief minister's camp has already dropped enough hints that another one or two detractors of Kiran Reddy might be sacked from the cabinet in the coming days.

Since endowments minister C Ramachandraiah has also turned out as one of the prominent nit-picker of Kiran Reddy with his repeated criticism of him and 'Chiranjeevi for CM' rhetoric, speculation is rife that Ramachandraiah too might meet Ravindra Reddy's fate. However, some leaders feel that his proximity to Chiranjeevi might save him for now.

Free hand to CM for revamp?

The sacking of Ravindra Reddy amply proved that chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has been given free hand by the party high command to overhaul the cabinet.