KCR to Expand Cabinet before 28 June, Says 489 Cases Registered Against Him During Telangana Movement

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) is set to expand his cabinet of ministers on 24 June. The Chief Minister is likely to induct at least six more members into his cabinet before the beginning of "Aashadam" month on 28 June.

The Telugu calendar month, Aashadam is considered inauspicious and it is a tradition that people in AP don't launch new initiatives during the month. Rao is known for his beliefs on such sentiments and numerology.

KCR successfully completed sessions of both Legislative Assembly and Council on Friday, 14 June, and is now concentrating on expansion of his Cabinet of ministers. The Chief Minister is mulling to induct as many female MLAs as possible into his Cabinet. Presently, KCR's Cabinet of ministers does not have a single female member and has faced criticism for the same.

After conducting the first session of Telangana State Legislature, KCR now wants to expand his Cabinet to 18 members including himself. The CM is said to be discussing the matter of Cabinet expansion with his colleagues.

The KCR-headed government is also expected to announce "Bonalu" as the State festival. A statement is expected from the chief minister on the popular festival in Telangana area on Monday, 16 June.

On Monday, the chief minister is scheduled to review the arrangements made by the officials for Ramadan/Ramzan and Bonalu festivals in the state, especially in Hyderabad.

489 cases registered against KCR:

KCR on Friday, 14 June, reiterated in the State Assembly that he will fulfill his promise to withdraw cases registered against activists and students of Telangana movement.

KCR said that 489 cases have been registered against him by the previous "oppressive government" when he fought for Telangana state by standing in the forefront of the movement for more than a decade. The cases are registered against KCR in various police stations.

Most of the cases filed against the Telangana movement activists were false, the Chief Minister said. Hence, KCR stated that his government would withdraw all the cases.

KCR said that cases have also been registered by Railways against the activists for holding protests on railway tracks and obstructing their schedule. Telangana State government Is likely to urge the Union Government to lift cases on Telangana activists registered by Central organisations like Railways.

The Chief Minsiter stated that the matter of providing reservation for Muslims in education and employment will also be discussed soon by an all-party meeting. Quoting Sachar Committee findings, KCR said that Muslims and other minorities in the state were very backward on all fronts and needed a helping hand and reservation in education and employment.