Pressure on Kiran to sack tainted ministers

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Hyderabad: With the resignations of two Union ministers, ostensibly at the instance of the Congress high command, pressure is mounting on Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy to axe ministers Dharmana Prasada Rao and Sabita Indra Reddy, who have been chargesheeted by the CBI in the Jagan Mohan Reddy illegal investments cases.
Senior Congress MP Hanumantha Rao on Saturday demanded that the Chief Minister take action against the ministers in order to enhance the prestige of the Congress in the state.
“Knowing the mind of the Congress president on fighting corruption, it is now for the CM to take the lead and sack the two tainted ministers,“ Rao said in Delhi.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that Union minister and AICC general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad on Saturday met Congress president Sonia Gandhi and discussed the issue.
However, there is no official word yet on the high command's next move on this matter. During their meeting with AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi three days ago, a few MPs raised the issue of ministers Dharmana Prasada Rao and Sabita Indra Reddy continuing in the state Cabinet and demanded action be taken against them to enhance the party’s prestige and to send out a message that it would not act in a partisan manner.
R&B minister Dharmana Prasada Rao is Accused No. 5 in the Vanpic land allotment case, while home minister Sabita Indra Reddy is Accused No. 4 in the Dalmia Cements case. But sources close to Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy said he had already briefed the Congress leadership on the issue during his previous trip to Delhi.
“The Congress president had agreed to CM’s stand, which is “to wait” till the court came to a decision,” a source said.
It was learnt that CM was keen not to be seen taking pre-emptive action against those whose fates hung in the balance. In Sabita Reddy’s case, the CBI special court has not yet taken cognisance of the chargesheet. Until it does so, CM feels it would be inappropriate for him to take any action, the source said.
In case of Prasada Rao, though the CBI special court took cognisance of the chargesheet filed against him under provisions of the IPC, which did not require prior sanction, neither the court nor the CBI had ordered the arrest of the minister.