1st time MLAs want the moon

First-time MLAs have requested the Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, to give them Cabinet berths in the reshuffle scheduled for for next month.

The former Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, had kept the first-time MLAs at bay with his guideline that only seniors would be made ministers and freshers should wait for at least a full term and concentrate more on learning.

However, Dr Reddy had made a sole exemption in the case of Mr G. Vinod from Chennur, the son of former union minister, Mr G. Venkataswamy.

Mr Rosaiah is also planning to apply the same guideline for the proposed reshuffle to avoid pressure from juniors.

To pre-empt him, around 92 first-time MLAs of the Congress have prepared a memorandum to be submitted to Mr Rosaiah seeking representation in the Cabinet.

The memorandum, which initially thanked Mr Rosaiah for enhancing the constituency development fund for each MLA,

requested him to consider inclusion of some of the first time elects into Cabinet in order to maintain ‘balance’.

They also requested him to accommodate other freshers as chairpersons of state owned public sector undertakings and corporations.

Party sources said the move by the new MLAs was likely to cause embarrassment to the Chief Minister who is keen on following the YSR line in picking up ministers from the ‘seniors’ category.

“It is not a sin to demand ministership since we are also elected representatives like the seniors,” said one first-time MLA.