KCR to induct two women into cabinet after LS polls

Hyderabad: Putting opposition parties’ continuous fault finding over the injustice meted out to women on their representation in the state cabinet to rest, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Saturday declared that he will induct two women ministers in his cabinet soon. The representation of women in the KCR’s government in the first term was zero. 

Even as the speculation was rife at least one woman minister will be inducted in to the cabinet in the recent expansion, none of the TRS women legislators were lucky to get a ministerial berth.Participating in the vote on account debate in the Assembly, the chief minister said that the government is committed to empowerment of women. One MLC post has already been allotted to TRS woman leader and many other political opportunities will also be extended to them in the coming days.

Out of the total 17 member cabinet strength, he said 11 were already inducted and the remaining six ministerial berths will be filled at the earliest. He made the promise of providing two berths to women in the next cabinet expansion which is likely to happen after Lok Sabha election.
The women representation from ruling TRS in the Assembly are a mere three and a lone MLC Satyavathi Rathod was representing the Telangana party in the Legislative Council. 

Party leaders said that senior TRS leader and former Deputy Speaker T Padma Devender Reddy elected from the Medak Assembly constituency and G Sunitha from Alair are the front runners for the minister post. Since the two leaders are from Reddy community, one among them will get the opportunity. A source said that Khanapur MLA Rekha Naik’s name is also under active consideration. The allotment of ministerial berth to Rekha will also help to fill the ST representation in the KCR’s cabinet.

Unconfirmed reports said that Congress senior leader and MLA P Sabitha Indra Reddy was offered minister post if she switched loyalties to TRS. In lieu of her joining TRS, Sabitha’s son Karthik Reddy will also be given party ticket to contest from the Chevella Parliamentary constituency in the ensuing general elections.