Major Shuffle in AP Cabinet Likely, Key Posts Haunt Top Brass

All the eager beavers of the Congress, keen on getting a berth in the much-awaited overhaul of the Cabinet, will have to wait for a few more days as party chief Sonia Gandhi has gone abroad.

Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has been directed by the party high command to wait till she returns to rejig the Cabinet as per his assessment.

 It is also learnt that the AICC leadership did not clear the air over the issue of change of guard in the State Congress

Kiran Reddy, who was in Delhi on Sunday to take part in the conference of Chief Ministers and Chief Justices of High Courts, had a series of meetings with the AICC top brass.

 He met AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s close confidant and party general secretary Digvijay Singh, party state affairs incharge Ghulam Nabi Azad and Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Veerappa Moily.

He is likely to meet Rahul on Monday to discuss the modalities and pre-planning for a major shuffle..

According to sources, Sonia Gandhi has gone abroad for the treatment of an undisclosed medical condition.

The party senior leaders reportedly advised Kiran Reddy to visit Delhi again around April 15 by when she is expected back.

During his meeting with Moily, the Chief Minister is understood to have requested for increased allocation of natural gas for the State to tide over the acute power crisis

Sources said he had explained to the Minister the severity of the power crisis and also sought the Centre’s permission to use natural gas, being supplied to Gujarat from the KG Basin, for the domestic needs of the State.

In return, he proposed to supply natural gas bought from other states to Gujarat.

Sources said the Chief Minister also requested Moily to extend the deadline for Aadhar- linked subsidy cylinders in the State till June.