The suspended Minister DL Ravindra Reddy wanted to talk to the media through his heart at 1.00 pm today from CLP Office as promised by him yesterday to the media persons who followed him from the airport to his residence to get his comments. But CLP Office closed doors on him practically. They locked it and said that there is no permission for him to conduct a media conference in CLP Office.

Then DL met media representatives in the media point in the Assembly.

DL said that all the Government Schemes announced by the Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy recently are the same ones once introduced by YS Rajasekhara Reddy but were not implemented. Only some names are changed and some schemes are made changes in like Bangaru Thalli which is made complicated and a prolonged one compared to the Lakhpati scheme under the rule of YSR. The schemes introduced now also were not discussed in the Cabinet, DL says.

DL said that the schemes are of the Party and the Government is run by the party not by individuals. As per the oath taken at the time of oath taking ceremony conducted by the Governor, as a Minister he took an oath to work by abiding by the Constitution of India but not to the whims and fancies of the Chief Minister. There is no rule that Ministers should be loyal to the CM.

DL also demanded an explanation why he was dismissed. He said that he gave a resignation long back which was not accepted. He never asked for Ministry but it was given. Only time he objected was when his powers as a Minister were reduced and tendered a resignation letter. Instead of accepting it, he was dismissed unceremoniously without bothering even to intimate to him.

He asks whether it is the reward one gets for being loyal to the party for so long. He reminded that he always won the elections from his constituency. Even when the TDP was in full swing then also he was elected representing Congress Party from his constituency out of total three in the State. DL says he wants an explanation for his removal from the cabinet as he never talked or acted against the party and never worked in his personal interests at any time.

DL said that he only wanted to see that the High Command would not get a bad name because of the announcement of schemes and non implementation later. DL strongly commented on some of the schemes that even half of the amount spent on the advertisement cost on the schemes was not spent on schemes to benefit the deserved.

(AW-SriJa)