The Hindu : Front Page : Cabinet expansion before budget meet

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Saturday, Jan 06, 2007
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Cabinet expansion before budget meet

Special Correspondent

YSR reveals his plan; VHR and PJR interrupt Chief Minister's speech

RAJIV'S LEGACY LIVES ON: Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh taking a look at a rare picture of Rajiv Gandhi at the end of the APCC brainstorming session in Hyderabad on Friday. — PHOTO: SATISH H.

HYDERABAD: Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy has announced that he will expand his Cabinet before the budget session of the State Assembly that commences every year on February 15. Dr. Reddy disclosed his plan in his concluding address at the two-day meeting of the Pradesh Congress Committee at Taramati Baradari here on Friday evening when Rajya Sabha member V. Hanumantha Rao interrupted him and sought to know the fate of the promised expansion.

The Chief Minister's disclosure immediately only confirmed the expectations of Congress leaders that he would expand his 25-member Council of Ministers towards the end of the month. He is not expected to do it until January 19 as the period is considered inauspicious. The auspicious dates after that are January 26 and 27. The nearly two-hour long speech of Dr. Reddy was marked by another interruption by Khairatabad MLA P. Janardhan Reddy when the former was discussing the controversy over expansion of the capacity of canal from Pothireddypadu head-regulator. Dr. Reddy barely heard the legislator and pinned him down saying the matter could be taken up later. APCC president K. Keshava Rao also took on the MLA by raising the pitch of his voice. At this, Mr. Hanumantha Rao gestured to Mr. Reddy from dais to leave things at that.

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