VIJAYAWADA: Even though elections to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly are more than a year away from now, the confidence level of opposition TDP leaders has reached such a high that they have started making open statements on getting cabinet berths of their choice once the party returns to power in the State.
Particularly, the TDP leaders, while making serious remarks against police, are eyeing to get the Home portfolio so as to punish the errant officials who intentionally targeted the TDP rank and file at the behest of the ruling YSRC leaders.
First it was TDP State president K Atchannaidu, who besides expressing his ire against the police when he was arrested in connection with a case during the panchayat elections, threatened the officials of serious consequences once he becomes the Home minister. At that time, he asserted that after the TDP returned to power, he would urge the party supremo N Chandrababu Naidu to allocate him the Home portfolio to punish those police officials filing false cases against the TDP rank and file.
Now, it was the turn of former minister Ch Ayyanna Patrudu, who also gave a similar statement to get the Home portfolio once the TDP formed the government in the State so as to punish the errant police officials.
However, he is of the opinion that there are no powers vested with the Home Minister unless he is also given the responsibility of maintaining law and order effectively. “What can the Home Minister do when the law and order is with the Chief Minister,” he asked.
However, he was quick to say that he has no desire to become the Home minister. The issue of portfolio allocation arises only after the TDP bagging majority of the seats in the next Assembly elections, he added.
Stating that there is no wrong in the leaders aspiring cabinet berths, a senior TDP leader said the focus should be on elections first and later on the ministerial berths after the party comes to power.“As it is a section of police harassing the TDP rank and file at the behest of YSRC leadership, our leaders have evinced interest in getting the Home portfolio to teach the errant officials a lesson,” he observed.