Date:08/04/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/04/08/stories/2007040805030600.htm

Andhra Pradesh

YSR holds talks on Cabinet expansion

Special Correspondent

Meets Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Digvijay Singh

First-timers and new MLCs have to wait for their turn: Digvijay

Manmohan asked to intervene in clearance for Polavaram project

NEW DELHI: Andhra Pradesh chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy on Saturday held preliminary discussions with the party leadership on expanding/reshuffling his Council of Ministers, an exercise that was put on hold till the formation of the Legislative Council. Dr. Reddy, who arrived here for a conference of Chief Justices and Chief Ministers scheduled for Sunday, met Congress president Sonia Gandhi and AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh, in-charge of party affairs in the State.

Experience the criterion

Mr. Singh said main criterion for preparing a list of those who could be inducted should be experience. First-timers and members of the newly-formed Council would have to wait for their turn, he said.

The party would leave it to the Chief Minister to draw up his own team.

On his part, the Chief Minister said separately that during his meeting with Ms. Gandhi, he briefed her about the latest political situation in the State and discussed administrative matters.

He, however, parried a question on whether the issue of expansion too figured in the talks.

Polavaram project

Addressing a press conference after his meeting with the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister said he sought his intervention to expedite Central clearances for the Rs.12,000-crore Indira Sagar (Polavaram) project, on which works have been suspended since May 2006 for want of clearances from Tribal Affairs and Water Resources Ministry.