Kondru defends CM for sacking Dr Shankar Rao

Government Whip Kondru Murali Mohan on Saturday defended Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy's decision to drop Dr P Shankar Rao from his Council of Ministers.

Talking to media persons at the Congress Legislature Party Office, Kondru Murali Mohan said that the Handlooms and Textiles Minister Shankar Rao was suspended from the Cabinet for violating the party discipline and causing damage to the party's image. Despite warnings from the party High Command, he said that Dr Shankar Rao levelled charges against Kiran Kumar Reddy and Home Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy and did not change his attitude. “Though central leadership issued stern warning, he never heeded to words and did not change his behaviour,” he said.

Asking Shankar Rao to change his 'arrogant attitude' at least now, he condemned his reported statement that he was sacked from Cabinet as he hailed from the Telangana region and belonged to Scheduled Caste community.

Condemning his accusation of Congress party as `anti-Dalit’, he asked Dr Shankar Rao to explain what he has done for the welfare of dalits during his tenure as a cabinet minister.

Speaking on the occasion, Primary Education Minister S Sailajanath condemned the opposition parties for trying to give a caste-twist to the sacking of a minister from the cabinet. He said that the Chief Minister and the Congress party never showed any discrimination towards SC/ST communities in the cabinet and injustice was not done in the allotment of portfolios.