AP Home Minister Sabitha Reddy Will Face 'Music' Of Law

Andhra Pradesh Home Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy, who is named as an accused in the fifth charge-sheet by the CBI in  the disproportionate assets case of YS Jaganmohan Reddy, may have to quit the State Cabinet, unlike her Teflon-coated colleague minister Dharmana Prasada Rao.

Dharmana, soon after being named in the Jagan’s case, tendered his resignation and let Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and Governor ESL Narasimhan play ping-pong with it. Kiran Reddy had his Cabinet ‘reject’ the resignation without he, who is vested with the power of accepting or rejecting the resignation of a colleague, actually involving himself in the ‘killer’ decision.

Then he forwarded it to the Governor. Anybody who has a fair idea of procedures and the Constitution would expect that the Governor would return the same for a proper recommendation from the Chief Minister. The Governor ‘recused’ himself from making a decision, as expect. All this happened and more than six months elapsed. All this while, Dharmana stayed away from discharging his official functions as a minister. And, finally, Kiran “leaked to the media” that he was insisting on Dharmana to resume work as a Cabinet minister.

But when it comes to Sabitha Indra Reddy, she would not have the luxury enjoyed by Dharmana. For, she is holding the crucial portfolio of Home affairs. The moment he was elevated to the rank of Deputy Chief Minister, Damodar C RajaNarsimha began angling for the position of the Home Minister just as Koneru Ranga Rao in the Kotla Vijayabhaskara Reddy Cabinet. Had Kiran Reddy conceded this demand, he could have provided the same insulation he covered Dharmana with even to Sabitha.

But, can Home Minister who is charge-sheeted continue in office become a pertinent question. Also, she cannot stay away from her duties like Dharmana for such a long time. Also, the elections are round the corner.

Kiran Reddy has two alternatives: 1. The Chief Minister could take her resignation, accept it and forward it to the Governor. or 2. He can transfer Sabitha to another portfolio forth with and let things roll on the way they did in the case of Dharmana. A precedent that can closely be related is that the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy had transferred then Minister for Industries in the Volkswagen car factory case to the portfolio of Marketing without making him resign from the post.

But, Sabitha Reddy cannot afford to hand over her resignation to the Chief Minister and wait for him not to act for a long time. She enjoyed the distinction of t he first female Home Minister in the country and also the dubious distinction of being the first charge-sheeted Home Minister.