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HYDERABAD: Yuvarajyam president Pavan Kalyan is back to business nursing his star image as an actor after being neglected by the party which deliberated on the post-poll scenario during the last week.

The actor has been trying to catch up with his shooting schedules which got neglected due to his extensive campaigning to attract fresh voters across the state. The actor is busy with his next big-budget film "Puli", directed by S J Surya.

According to some of the party leaders, the absence of the Prajarajyam youth wing chief, who was seen as the only firebrand leader in the party, at the meetings was proving to be a dampener.

Though several special invitees were called to the extended three-day political affairs committee meeting last week, the absence of the Yuvarajyam chief at the party’s re-structuring meet left tongues wagging. "Pavan Kalyan is the only PRP leader who dared to show his fingers at corrupt Congress leaders and take an open stand against the ruling party.

Since he has been staying aloof from party activities after the second phase of polling, several youth who plunged into active politics were looking towards the Yuvarajyam leader for further directions," said a senior PRP leader who did not want to be identified.

The last meeting, though unofficial, was chaired by the Yuvarajyam chief to discuss arrangements for the the Praja Vijayabheri two months ago.

A Yuvarajyam activist said, "We feel orphaned after not being made party to any kind of re-structuring process. Me and my Yuvarajyam members have decided to seek an audience with party president K Chiranjeevi and share our views to make a strong comeback in the local body elections, which are scheduled over the next 12 months. At present, we do not have a direction and we all strongly feel that Yuvarajyam alone can end up justifying its role as a catalyst for the growth of Prajarajyam."

When asked for a clarification from Yuvarajyam general secretary D Shravan on the absence of their president from party activities, he said, "We are being guided by Pavan Kalyan at all levels. He is keen to spreassd the message of ideological re-engineering as he is a firm believer in idealism and not populism. He will very soon reach out to the youth across the state with a firm resolve to bring about a real social change."

Politics News: Congress struggles with Cabinet berths

NEW DELHI: A surge in Lok Sabha numbers has brought a problem of plenty for Congress
, with party brass juggling names for the third consecutive day to finalize the list of Manmohan Singh’s ministry.

The party has to accommodate states which it has swept by giving them proportionate numbers while it is also being forced to take token faces from states it has been swept out from.

Meetings on Tuesday between PM Manmohan Singh and party chief Sonia Gandhi, followed by one at 10, Janpath, is said to have finalised the list, which would be given a final touch on Wednesday in a meeting between the PM and Sonia. The swearing-in is scheduled for Thursday.

The unexpected delay in finalising the list is on account of the complicated task of balancing names with caste-regional considerations. While a jump in the number of MPs is forcing the list towards the upper permissible limit of 81 members, sources said the party is keen to keep a decent number vacant for a later-day expansion.

Indications are that Uttar Pradesh may see a big contingent in the ministry, in view of the party’s eagerness to consolidate gains made by winning 21 seats. The party sees revival in UP-Bihar as critical if it is to return as the umbrella party of yore.

Andhra Pradesh, which surpassed the doomsday predictions by returning 33 MPs, has placed a high demand too.It’s a tightrope walk in states Congress has swept. While Rajasthan MPs are a hopeful lot, the party has had to look at who besides C P Joshi, accommodated in the first list, could make the cut.

Representation for Jat community may be the conundrum. If octogenarian Sisram Ola is dropped, the five-term Jhunjhunu MP’s replacement has to be from five first-timers, at best a choice for MoS. Ola was left out of 19 ministers sworn in with the PM. The party is toying with a Meena and a Gujjar leader for MoS.

Choice of two Karnataka ex-CMs -- S M Krishna and Veerappa Moily -- has led to a lot of heartburn with senior leaders Dharam Singh and Mallikarjuna Kharge having won LS seats. While ex-CM Dharam Singh is eyeing a berth, Kharge, a dalit leader, is hoping for reward after having agreed to demit the leader of Opposition’s post in the state. It took a lot of prodding to convince Kharge for Lok Sabha plunge. Their seniority, however, seems to be the constraint in view of limited Cabinet or MoS (independent) posts.

While there is jostling from Tamil Nadu for ministry, with Rajya Sabha MPs also having thrown their hat in the ring, Congress in Maharashtra is veering towards taking in one MP each from Marathwada, Vidarbha and Mumbai, besides Prithviraj Chavan. The state seems to be high on priority owing to polls inOctober.

Gujarat, where Congress staved off a mauling predicted by pre-poll surveys, is likely to see a few in the list. The defeat of Shankarsinh Vaghela and Madhusudan Mistry has opened the doors for others. Bharatsinh Solanki is a strong contender.

Uttarakhand, where Congress won all five seats, may be accommodated this time.

In J&K, Congress has offered National Conference an MoS berth while talks are on over Farooq Abdullah’s inclusion. Saiffuddin Soz is a claimant from Congress.

At the same time, the party is working out options in low-performance states like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh. A leg-up for Anand Sharma as Cabinet minister has raised the enviable task of leaving out former CM Virbhadra Singh,

the sole winner from the four-seat state. Jharkhand goes to polls in coming months and representation to Subodh Kant Sahay is seen by strategists as a must. Accommodation of Charan Das Mahant, sole winner from Chhattisgarh, is a question which may be clear by Wednesday.

Politics News: FAPCCI greets Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Ministers

FAPCCI greets Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Ministers

Hyderabad, May 26 : Congratulating Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and his Cabinet Ministers, who were sworn-in yesterday, Federation of Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FAPCCI) President Suraj Prasad Agarwal today hoped that the new government’s focus would be on restoring the economy and bridging the gap between demand and supply.

In a statement here, he said ’’the new Cabinet has people from various sections of the society and different areas of Andhra Pradesh. We are sure the induction of new faces in the Cabinet would bring more innovative ideas and ensure effective functioning of Andhra Pradesh. At the same time, the guidance of senior Ministers would help the new Ministers in planning,

designing and effective implementation.’’ He assured the FAPCCI’s ’’wholehearted cooperation and assistance in furthering the development of the State, especially trade and industry’’.

Speaking at another forum, Mr Agarwal said India’s exports in the last five years had diversified and grown, but there was substantial scope to enhance its exports further by identifying new markets and new products.

Addressing participants at an export certificate course here, he said, ’’today Indian exporters are exporting to almost all the countries, including places like Marshall Islands, Greenland, Barbados, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Burundi and Somalia.

However, there is substantial scope to enhance India’s exports further by identifying new markets and new products.’’ As a step in this direction, the Federation was bringing out an useful publication titled ’Andhra Pradesh Exporters Directory’,

which would help overseas buyers explore the market potential of Andhra Pradesh, he said, adding the Federation would organise a series of certificate courses on various issues beneficial to trade and industry.

Politics News: Govt will implement welfare schemes with new vigour: Rosaiah

Hyderabad, May 26 : The Andhra Pradesh government will implement all the ongoing welfare schemes with new vigour for the benefit of all sections of the people despite financial crunch, State Finance Minister K Rosaiah said today.

Talking to media after assuming charge as State Finance Minister for the second term, he said the people had accepted the developmental and welfare schemes launched by the Congress government during the last five years and voted the congress to power again as they had full confidence in the government.

He said despite financial crunch due to lack of expected revenues, and cut in the central allocations to the state, the government would not hesitate to spend any amount on the welfare schemes besides giving priority to irrigation, infrastructure building, communication and industrialisation for employment potential.

Asked if there was any proposal to impose taxes in the budget, he did not give a direct reply, stating that the government would submit full budget after a thorough study before September this year.

He said there was time till September as he had earlier presented the vote on account budget.

The country and the state did not face big trouble in the wake of meltdown all over the world due to the efforts made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, prominent economists like Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahulwalia,

Financial Adviser to Prime Minister Rangarajan, former Reserve Bank Governor Y V Reddy and others, he said.

Politics News: Sabita Indra Reddy gets Home portfolio, Rosaiah Finance

Hyderabad, May 26 : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy today allocated key Home portfolio to P Sabita Indra Reddy, while reallocating Finance and Legislative Affairs to K Rosaiah, Revenue to D Prasada Rao, Agriculture to N Raghuveera Reddy and Major Irrigation to P Lakshmaiah.

While retaining General Administration, Law and Order, Public Enterprises and all other portfolios unallocated, the Chief Minister gave Ms Sabita, referred to as ’’Chevalla Chellemma’’ by him, the challenging job of Home, hitherto handled by K Jana Reddy, who has not been included in the Ministry.

Ms Sabita, representing the newly-carved Maheswaram, is the first woman in the state to get Home, which was handled by her husband Indra Reddy, while Dr J Geeta Reddy was given Information, in addition to Tourism, which she had headed in the previous Cabinet, official sources said.

The Panchayatraj Ministry, handled in the previous Cabinet by J C Diwakar Reddy, who was also not inducted into the Ministry this time, was given to Bothsa Satyanarayana, while Mukhesh Goud and Pilli Subhashchandra Bose got once again Backward Classes Welfare and Social Welfare respectively.

While Ms D K Aruna got Smallscale Industries, Ms Galla Aruna was given Roads and Buildings and Ms Konda Sureka Women and Child Welfare. Ms Sunita Lakshma Reddy will be the new Minor Irrigation Minister.Anam Ramanarayan Reddy was made the Muncipal Administration Minister and Kanna Lakshminarayana Major Industries.

The Chief Minister gave Health to D Nagender, Medical Education to P Sudarshan Reddy, Housing to C Silpa Mohan Reddy, Higher

Education to D Sridhar Babu, Civil Supplies to J Krishna Rao and Information Technology to K Venkata Reddy, all new faces.

Politics News: YSR to leave for Jerusalem on pilgrimage

Hyderabad, May 26 : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy will leave for Jerusalem today on a thanks-giving visit.

Dr Reddy will be accompanied by his family members. He will visit Holy Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ, following his successful return to power for a second term.

Earlier, for the swearing in of 35 ministers, four minister designates were caught in a traffic jam. Mr Ponala Lakshmaiah, came by walk from Punjagutta to the Raj Bhavan for the swearing-in ceremony because of traffic jam, while Mr Mukesh Goud came by motorcylce to the Raj Bhavan after he was held up in heavy traffic jam. The first-time Minister B Srinivasa Reddy and Botsa Satyanaraya, Housing Minister in the earlier Cabinet, came after the swearing-in ceremony began.

Three of the new ministers, J Geetha Reddy, Damodar Raja Narasimha and K P Sarathy and P Ramachandra Reddy took oath in English, while 32 other ministers took oath in Telugu. The lone minority representative in the Cabinet Md Ahamadulla, who won the Kadapa Assembly seat, also took oath in Telugu.

Mr N Raghuveera Reddy, who held the key Agriculture portfolio in the last Cabinet and first-time Minister P Satyanarayana took oath in the name of God and their parents.

Politics News: Profile of Ministers inducted into Andhra Pradesh Cabinet

Hyderabad, May 26 : Following is the profile of 35 Ministers inducted into the Andhra Pradesh Cabinet.

K Rosaiah: Seventysix-year-old senior Congress leader and eldest member of the Rajasekhara Reddy cabinet has enormous political and ministerial experience.

A member of the Legislative Council, Rosaiah began his political career in 1968 and got elected to the Upper House. A native of Vemugu in Guntur district, he graduated from the Hindu College affiliated to the Andhra University.

He has handled key ministries of Finance, Legislative Affairs, Power, Home, among other ministries and had served as Minister under several Chief Ministers in the past, including M Channa Reddy, T Anjaiah, K Vijayabhaskara Reddy, and N Janardhan Reddy.

Ponnala Laksmaiah: Sixtyfive-year-old Lakshmaiah is an engineering graduate from US, has handled the key Major Irrigation department since 2004 and put into action the irrigation initiative ’’Jalayagnam’’ of the previous Rajasekhara Reddy

Government.

He has also served as Minister for a brief period in 1991-92.

Kanna Lakshminarayana: Hailing from a political family of the Pedakurapadu in Guntur district, 52-year-old Congress leader

was elected to the State Assembly for the fifth term, in the just-concluded election from Guntur(West) Assembly constituency.

He served as Transport Minister in the previous Cabinet. N Raghuveera Reddy: A Lieutenant of Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy hails from Neelakantapuram in Madakasira mandal of Anantapur district. He has put into action pro-peasant policies of the Rajasekhara Reddy Government since 2004.

Dharmana Prasada Rao: A native of Mabagam in Srikakulam district, the 52-year-old Congress leader began his political career as a Sarpanch. Responsible for implementing the Congress Government’s land distribution policy, he was lone Congress candidate to get elected from the district in 1999 when the TDP retained power. He has served as Minister in the past in the Governments headed by Kotla Vijayabhaskara Reddy and N Janardhan Reddy.

Ap news videos: Loksatta takes help from Foreign Experts for party construction

ap news videos: Response of Some new Ministers about their Portfolios

ap Hyderabad news videos: Response of Some new Ministers about their Portfolios