Former Telugu Desam Party (TDP) minister and Visakhapatnam North MLA Ganta Srinivasa Rao called Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy "a weak leader" and the state's new Cabinet "unbalanced".
Addressing a press conference at the TDP office in Visakhapatnam on Thursday, Rao said, "Jagan is a weak leader and the state cabinet expansion was not done in a balanced way."
Commenting on the state's new cabinet, Rao said, "I am not satisfied with the cabinet and not just me, even the YSRCP leaders are not impressed."
Citing the incidents of leaders expressing their anger, Ganta said he had never seen such outrage.
"It is the first time in my 25-year political career, I have seen disagreement over cabinet composition and leaders agitating by burning the effigies, bikes and tires for not getting a place in the cabinet," said Rao.
According to Rao, the cabinet is unbalanced. "Not a single ministerial post has been allotted to the financial capital, Visakhapatnam district. There are total 26 districts in Andhra Pradesh. Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Tirupati and 8 other districts are without any cabinet ministers. It is sad that Visakhapatnam, which is also the biggest city in Andhra Pradesh, did not have a minister," said Rao.
He further said, "Two years before the election, the CM spoke of giving priority to people of backward classes in the cabinet, which meant that people were not in a position to trust the YSRCP. His own party MLAs and ministers staged a dharna. They questioned the new cabinet. As the elections will approach, the influx into the TDP will increase."
"A large number of leaders have joined the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and more leaders, MLAs and former Ministers are expected to join us in the near future", added the Visakhapatnam North MLA.
Rao tendered his resignation in protest against the privatization of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) last year.
( With inputs from ANI )
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