NALGONDA: The absence of ministers N Uttam Kumar Reddy and Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, along with most ruling party MLAs, at the swearing-in ceremony of the newly constituted Yadadri Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple Trust Board on Sunday sparked intense political speculation.
Apart from Endowments Minister Konda Surekha and Bhongir MP Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy, only Alair MLA B Ilaiah attended the event.
The absence of senior public representatives from what is considered one of the most prestigious events in the district became a major talking point. Typically, elected representatives attend such significant religious programmes in large numbers, even without formal invitations.
According to reliable sources, the principal reason for the boycott by key Congress leaders from the district was that they were allegedly not consulted before the appointments to the trust board were finalised.
District leaders are said to be upset over what they described as a unilateral exercise carried out without taking their views into account.
Munugode MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy openly expressed his displeasure, questioning how the board could be constituted without informing or consulting the elected representatives of the respective constituencies.
It is also learnt that, apart from the ministers, no MLA or MLC from the erstwhile Nalgonda district received a formal invitation to the ceremony.
Sources said at least two ministers were also unhappy with the appointments as they had expected their supporters to be accommodated on the Yadadri Trust Board.