Roads and buildings minister Dharmana Prasada Rao is understood to be unhappy with chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy for dilly-dallying on rejecting his resignation as well as the CBI’s plea to the government seeking its nod for Dharmana’s prosecution.
After appearing before the CBI special court here on Thursday in connection with the charges levelled against him pertaining to VANPIC, Dharmana drove straight to the chief minister’s office in the Secretariat. The minister had a meeting with Kiran for more than an hour.
During the meeting, the minister is understood to have requested Kiran to reject the plea of the CBI to prosecute him as he did not commit any mistake in signing the controversial GOs pertaining to VANPIC land deals.
However, the chief minister reportedly did not give any assurance to the minister that he would reject the appeal of the CBI.
Soon after the meeting, Dharmana is said to have expressed his displeasure to his close aides over the chief minister’s attitude.
Sources said that Dharmana is of the opinion that the chief minister has left him in the lurch as far as the CBI case is concerned.
“Though I am a senior minister in the government, the chief minister has completely ignored me over the CBI case. Instead of rejecting the CBI’s plea, Kiran sent feelers that I should resume my ministerial duties. But, how can I discharge my duties without the chief minister giving a clean chit?,” sources quoted Dharmana.
Later, Dharmana addressed mediapersons.
Asked whether he would discharge duties as a minister, he told reporters that he had called on the chief minister only to discuss the damage caused by cyclone Nilam in Srikakulam district.