With Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy returning to the city on Sunday evening after his three-day Indiramma Bata in West Godavari district, a decision regarding the resignation of roads and buildings minister Dharmana Prasada Rao is likely to be taken soon. The Chief Minister had told mediapersons during his tour that after he reaches the state headquarters, he would look into critical issues like Mr Prasada Rao’s resignation and also take a decision regarding the CBI’s request to sanction prosecution against the minister.

In fact, Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan had put the ball in Mr Kiran Kumar Reddy’s court when he had indicated to mediapersons on Saturday that he was prepared to accept the minister’s resignation.
With not much progress in building political pressure on the Chief Minister after the Congress Central leadership gave him the cold shoulder, the minister is said to have resigned to his fate and is hoping to avoid arrest by the CBI.

CM can delay acting on resignation
Sources close to Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy pointed out, “We are confident of facing the judiciary on CBI’s charges of quid pro quo or violation of rules. But that will come almost at the end of the judicial process while embarrassing things might happen at the beginning itself.”

The CBI has accused the minister of violating the decision of the Cabinet by allotting land to Vanpic Projects and increasing the quantum of land from 4,000 acres as decided by the Cabinet to 5,700 acres. This may also dilute the other ministers’ theory of “collective responsibility of the Cabinet”. Sources said the CM has the option of dragging the decision on resignation at least for another three months by delaying sanction for prosecution. “The government has standard procedures for processing requests for sanction of prosecution,” an official said. It has followed the same procedure for bureaucrats named by the CBI.

Dharmana’s son targeted by TD leaders
In the wake of roads and buildings minister Dharmana Prasada Rao battling to come out of the CBI trap, the Telugu Desam state level committee inspected on Sunday, the Kannedhara hill which was leased to Virgin Rock Private Limited (VRPL), owned by the minister’s son for white granite mining. The TD promised tribals of intensifying the protest by raising the issue in the state Assembly. Senior TD leader G. Muddukrishnama Naidu led a four-member team and interacted with tribals in Seetampeta mandal. Puliputti sarpanch S. Mukhalingam who filed a case against VRPL in the AP High Court explained the chronology of their protest.

“Revenue officials say that 21 tribal families were engaged in farming on the sacred hill, the special inquiry committee confirmed scores of Savara tribals eking out a livelihood here, but, no authority quashed the lease signed against tribal laws,” said Muddukrishnama Naidu. In the context of political uncertainty facing the minister, Kannedhara tribals plan to resume their protest to put pressure on the Congress government to cancel the VRPL lease. The TD team also met Itchapuram MLA P. Sairaj whose bail move was postponed by the local court at Srikakulam district court on Sunday.