Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy is learnt to be planning a Delhi visit later this month and would meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi before she gets busy in campaigning ahead of Assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.
Though the purpose of his visit is unclear, sources said Mr Reddy wants a go-ahead to affect a Cabinet reshuffle.
Several senior party leaders from the state also want Mr Reddy to start asserting himself more in Delhi for him to get his choice of leaders in key positions as the Assembly elections draw closer.
The visit would also give him an opportunity to gauge the party central leadership’s mood on the Telangana statehood issue, sources said, adding that the trip gains significance since it would come soon after TRS chief K. Chandr-asekhar Rao recently spent almost a month in Delhi. Mr Rao is learnt to have confabulated with several senior leaders.
According to sources, the CM plans to hold the Winter Session of the state Assembly in two spells: in November and December.
There is a vacancy in his Cabinet after Mopidevi Venkata Ramana resigned, and the CM is also yet to take a decision on the resignation letter submitted by R and B minister Dharmana Prasada Rao.
Sources said he also plans to remove medical and health minister D.L. Ravindra Reddy from the Cabinet due to the latter’s non-cooperation.
Meanwhile, senior Cong-ress leaders like J.C. Diwa-kar Reddy, Gade Venkata Reddy and several others feel it’s time Mr Reddy asserts himself to lead the party in 2014 elections.
They said Mr Reddy should identify leaders who would be useful for the party so as to prepare better for the elections.
The senior leaders opi-ned that a green signal to effect Cabinet changes would in itself provide Mr Reddy the much-needed confidence and strength.
“It is the time for Mr Reddy to prove himself as a leader and effect a Cabin-et reshuffle, remove the inefficient ministers and take useful hands on board for an image makeover,” Mr Diwakar Reddy said.
Oscar: UPA to decide on Telangana
AICC general secretary Oscar Fernandes on Tuesday informed a delegation from Mahbubn-agar district that it is the UPA government that will announce any decision on the Telangana state issue and not the Congress.
State minister D.K. Aruna led a 20-member Congress delegation to Delhi, which met Union ministers Sushilkumar Shinde and Vayalar Ravi, senior AICC leaders Motilal Vora and Mr Fernandes. The delegation demanded an early and favourable statement on Telangana.
Mr Fernandes inform-ed the delegation that he had meetings with TRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao in Delhi and had conveyed to him the viewpoint of Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
He declined to comment on the proposal of the TRS chief to merge his party in the Congress if separate statehood is granted to Telangana.