Luck is a fickle partner. It could be a lucky number, a colour, or anything that one gets fixed upon for bringing good tidings to themselves. So was the case with Number 6 for K. Chandrashekar Rao, BRS president and former Telangana chief minister. But with time, the tide turns, and it appears, also the luck of the draw, so to speak. If the goings-on are anything to go by, the ruling Congress in Telangana seems determined to make the same ‘six’ as an “unlucky number” for KCR. Political circles are agog with gossip on how the once lucky number is no longer so for KCR, and fingers are being pointed to the six MLCs from the BRS joining the Congress as a group. By the time this happened, six BRS MLAs had joined the Congress and word doing the rounds is that the get-them-by-the-sixes attack from the Congress is payback for the BRS allegations that the ruling party is not implementing its ‘Six Guarantees’ and apparently July 24 is the date for BRS Legislature Party merger with Congress — in other words — almost all BRS MLAs will join the Congress by then. No guesses why July 24 was picked as the date for the event. IAS, IPS ALLOWED TO KEEP FAMILIES TOGETHER Family makes all the difference, or so the saying goes. For those in service, it is never easy with the husband and wife posted far away from each other. The government is now allowing transfers and applying the ‘spouse clause’ for even IAS and IPS officers. This being the case, All India Service (AIS) officials, for instance, the Nizamabad police commissioner Kalmeshwar Shinganevar’s wife, IPS officer Rohini Priyadarshini has been posted as commandant of the Telangana State Special Police 7th Battalion at Dichpally in Nizamabad. At the same time, Nirmal district collector Ashish Sangwan was transferred and posted as Kamareddy district collector. Kamareddy shares the border with Sangareddy district, where Ashish’s wife Valluru Kranthi is the collector. A senior TPCC functionary said the hope is that bureaucrat couples will serve the people better with flexible transfers. NARA LOKESH — THE GREAT EDUCATOR Nara Lokesh, Telugu Desam general secretary and AP minister for HRD, advised students to help 10 persons each to bring change in their lives as he helped them. Lokesh acted swiftly based on a WhatsApp message from a student claiming that due to some technical issues, several differently-abled students were unable to get admission in IITs and NITs even as they got good ranks in the JEE and directed the officials to contact IIT Madras and, accordingly, a GO was also issued. With this, 25 specially-abled students got admission in prestigious technical institutions. The students met Lokesh to thank them. Then he said that though he studied in the US, it was his dream to study in the IITs and NITs, adding that everyone should try and help 10 others, and keep the movement going to bring a change for the better. BOTSA JHANSI MISSING IN ACTION When the YSRC allotted the MP ticket to Botsa Jhansi, she grabbed the people’s attention saying, “YSRC has allowed me to serve my birthplace, Visakhapatnam. I will serve this land despite the election results, win or lose.” It turned out that 4,03,220 voters believed her and voted for her. But, after she lost, Jhansi disappeared from Visakhapatnam, disappointing the voters who supported her. Worse, she wasn’t around for the debate about the privatisation of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, leaving her supporters speechless. BANDI TONES DOWN HIS TEMPER Union minister of state for home Bandi Sanjay Kumar, known for his no-holds-barred approach at times, and for his punchy comments, and strong stand on Hindutva, was in Hyderabad recently after taking charge. During an informal interaction, a question that came up was that if Bandi would temper his ‘Dookudu (aggression)’ now that he is a Union minister. “When needed,” was the response. If the past is any indication, then Bandi being Bandi, can be expected to take a tough stand on issues in the days to come, and speak his mind. COPS TOLD TO ABANDON THEIR FORMER MASTERS IN AP Nandyal MP Dr Byreddy Shabari has urged police officials to shed their perceived “YSRCP affiliations”, suggesting those unwilling to comply could relocate from the district. This sentiment echoes statements from several leaders in Andhra Pradesh since the new alliance-led government took office. However, these remarks have stirred discomfort among police officials, who asserted their dedication to serving any government faithfully. They emphasised their status as permanent employees within the government, committed to their responsibilities until retirement, irrespective of political changes. THE CASE OF ANDHRA’S MISSING SAND MOUNTAIN There is no desert in Andhra Pradesh but a “sand storm” is brewing in the state. Soon after the new government took charge in the first week of June, it announced a policy which makes sand available for free to users. However, between the time the new government took charge, and the policy announcement, allegations were flying thick and fast that a huge quantity of sand went missing from the ramps and stock points. YSRC leaders are alleging that 35 lakh tonnes of sand was looted within 30 days and they demanded that the government conduct a probe. The question doing the rounds is where did all the missing sand go, and who blew the sand away. Contributions from Vadrevu Srinivas, P.V. Prasad, Neeraj Kumar, Aruna, Sampat G. Samritan, Narender Pulloor, L. Venkat Ram Reddy
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