Even CM's own staff are leaving him

It is not just legislators of the ruling party, but even his own staff who are deserting Chief Minister Mr N. Kiran Kumar Reddy. Though no one really knows why Congress MLAs are shifting their loyalties to Mr Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, one reason why staff in the Chief Ministers Office is also leaving could be that like the rest of us they dont want to work for free. The way it works is that all CMO staff in the previous regime are repatriated to their respective departments and new appointments are made by the new CM. Mr Kiran Kumar Reddy, however, has simply sat on the files endorsing the appointment of CMO staff for the two months since he was appointed, with the result that the staff's salaries have been withheld for two months. The somewhat high-handed behaviour of the Chief Ministers trusted personal secretary has not endeared him to many and could be another reason why there is little enthusiasm for working in the most powerful office in the State. Some PR lessons on how to win friends and influence people are clearly required here.WHEN NAIDU IS BOTH HAPPY AND SAD AT THE SAME TIMETelugu Desam chief Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu is both a happy and an unhappy man. Happy because the survival of the Congress government in the state rests in his hands a dream come true for any Opposition leader. If he wants, he can dislodge the government (a move being eagerly awaited by the Jagan Mohan Reddy group). But he does not think the time for this is ripe and is waiting for the political situation to turn more advantageous for him. The enforced wait is making him unhappy because it means the continuance in office of his bete noire Mr Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy, a native of his own Chittoor district. He was reminded of the advantageous position he is in when former Congress minister J.C. Diwakar Reddy called to invite him to a family wedding. The Congress governments future is in your hands, sir, the ball is in your hands, Mr Diwakar Reddy reportedly told him. Hearing this from a senior Congress! leader had Mr Naidu glowing. Yes, the ball is in my court, he replied happily.AT LAST, VASANT KUMAR GETS A PhDThe tourism minister, Mr Vatti Vasant Kumar, will soon earn his doctorate degree, probably the first person with the august qualification in the Kiran Kumar Reddy Cabinet. But it almost didnt happen. The doctorate was a long cherished ambition of Mr Kumars but for one reason or another he did not complete his thesis. Then he became minister for rural development in the Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy Cabinet and was fascinated by the success of self-help groups. This, he decided, was the right subject for his doctoral thesis. The sudden death of YSR in a copter crash, the appointment and later resignation of his successor K. Rosaiah, which culminated in N. Kiran Kumar Reddy becoming CM, changed Mr Kumars fortunes. He was shifted from rural development, which was in tune with his doctoral thesis, to tourism and culture. Annoyed at the change of portfolio, Mr Kumar lodged a protest and refused to take oath of office. He was induced to accept only after it was promised that the portfolio would be changed. His one consolation is that he was made guardian minister for Visakhapatnam, which is helpful since he is doing his doctorate from Andhra University.
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