HYDERABAD: Minister Eatala Rajender was stripped of the Health portfolio on Saturday. The portfolio has now been transferred to Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. Rajender will continue in the Cabinet without a portfolio. “On the advice of the Chief Minister, Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan has approved the transfer of Medical, Health and Family Welfare portfolio from Eatala Rajender to the Chief Minister with immediate effect,” stated a press communique from Raj Bhavan.
A day after the CM ordered a probe into the alleged grabbing of assigned lands by Rajender, a battery of officials from Revenue and Vigilance departments gathered evidence against Rajender. They reportedly submitted a six-page preliminary inquiry report to Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar. The officials reportedly found that Rajender encroached upon 66 acres of land and also chopped trees to lay the road to his poultry farm.
Immediately after the development, Rajender commented to his followers that he was happy and thanked the CM. But, he did not take any political decision and is awaiting further steps by the government. Now, one option before the CM is to remove Rajender from the Cabinet, if the preliminary investigation report states that Rajender did encroach upon the lands.
According to Revenue sources, if any person is found to have purchased assigned land, the department will resume the land and hand it over to the original assignee. “Resuming the land from the purchaser and handing it over to the original assignee will itself be a fitting punishment for the purchaser,” an official said. However, another official said that if the person encroaches the assigned lands, it amounts to trespass and attracts provisions of the IPC.
‘NO DEMOCRACY IN TS’
Rajender felt that there was no democracy in Telangana, AP, or for that matter in the country. Without taking the names of any leaders, he said that those who had hatched a conspiracy against him would ‘pay a heavy price’ in future