Hyderabad (PTI): Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Sunday attacked Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for attending the GOAT India Tour event featuring football legend Lionel Messi here, alleging that a soccer star gets priority over Telangana’s "pain".
The Minister of State for Home, in a post on 'X', said that Rahul Gandhi promised that he would be in Telangana in a minute when people need him. However, that minute clearly runs on a "luxury" time zone.
"For the people of Telangana, his clock never works. It only ticks for VIP events and photo ops. A football star gets priority over Telangana’s pain", Kumar said.
Rahul Gandhi, who landed here on Saturday afternoon, joined Messi and his Inter Miami team-mates Luis Suarez and Rodrigo de Paul and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy at the felicitation towards the end of the event.
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Kumar further slammed Rahul Gandhi, alleging that the Congress government is playing with people’s lives in Telangana.
He alleged that the Congress party's six guarantees and several poll promises were unfulfilled.
The union minister tagged a video of the speech by Rahul Gandhi promising that he would be in Telangana in a minute when people needed him. He further claimed that Rahul Gandhi was "absent during suffering. On vacation during chaos. Fully present when the spotlight is on."
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Bengaluru (PTI): Amid a group of ruling Congress MLAs camping in Delhi with a cabinet rejig demand for their inclusion, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Monday said there was nothing wrong in legislators aspiring for ministerial positions.
He asserted that experienced MLAs were capable of handling such responsibilities.
His remarks came a day after senior and first-time MLAs stepped up lobbying efforts in the national capital with the party high command, seeking a cabinet reshuffle and greater representation.
"There is nothing wrong in them asking for it (ministerial position)," Parameshwara, a senior Congress leader, said
He added that the MLAs, some of who have been elected thrice, are capable to take up the ministerial positions.
He maintained that the final call on any cabinet reshuffle rests with the party high command.
"Our Chief Minister (Siddaramaiah), the high command, and our party (state) president (DK Shivakumar) decide about reshuffle. These three sit together and take a decision," he said.
The minister also indicated that the established procedure for cabinet formation was likely being followed.
"Earlier too, when I was the (state Congress) president, during cabinet formation, the Pradesh Congress Committee president, the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader, and our in-charge general secretaries would take decisions that would then be presented before our AICC president, approval would be obtained, and then it would be announced," he said.
He added that even today the same procedure is followed.
Responding to questions on whether senior ministers would make way for newcomers, Parameshwara said they would abide by the party's decision.
"If the high command decides then we have to accept it. There is no question of not accepting it," he said.
Stressing on party discipline, he added, "Whether it is me, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy, or Energy Minister K J George, we all are seniors. If they (high command) decide that we should be replaced and make changes, then there is no question of us opposing it."
Clarifying that discussions were limited to a possible cabinet reshuffle, he said decisions on leadership matters were entirely in the hands of the high command.
He said the discussions were limited only to the Cabinet rejig and not changing the party state president, a post being held by Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar for the past six years.
"Right now we are discussing cabinet reshuffle, not about the party president. All such matters are left to the high command," he said.
Recalling his own appointment as state Congress president in the past, Parameshwara said he had not lobbied for the post. "When I was made president, I did not lobby for it. Our leader Sonia Gandhi took the decision. It came as a surprise to me. I had not asked for it," he said.
On Sunday, several senior MLAs travelled to Delhi to press for a cabinet reshuffle, while first-time legislators renewed their demand for representation, seeking at least five berths in the Siddaramaiah-led ministry.
The push for a rejig comes amid internal rumblings within the ruling party and speculation over leadership issues, even as the high command is yet to take a final call.
