A small but striking protocol shift is unfolding at public meetings that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy addresses. While political speeches and project announcements usually dominate such events, the CM has been drawing attention for something much simpler — where people sit. At every public gathering these days, Revanth Reddy is directing officials to ensure women are seated on the right side of the venue facing the dais, a position he says helps him see and interact with them more directly. The instruction comes with another condition: men should take their seats only after all women attendees are accommodated. Revanth says their prominent placement reflects the respect they deserve, and now, women at his public meetings have become the most visible section of the audience. Though seemingly a matter of seating arrangements, the move reflects a larger political message. Revanth Reddy links the practice to his government’s emphasis on women’s empowerment, participation and economic advancement, turning an ordinary event protocol into a symbolic statement on gender inclusion.
SC Gurukuls turning a hot potato?
Is IAS officer Vijayendra Boyi deliberately keeping her distance from the SC Gurukul Secretary post? The question is generating considerable buzz in Telangana Secretariat circles after the senior bureaucrat returned from nearly six weeks of leave. Upon resuming duties last week, Vijayendra Boyi took charge as secretary and commissioner of the social welfare department. However, she has not formally assumed charge as secretary of SC Gurukuls, raising eyebrows among officials, especially at a sensitive time with the institutions facing scrutiny over repeated food poisoning incidents that have put the government on the defensive. Speculation is that the controversy surrounding the institutions may be influencing her decision, while others believe there may be administrative or personal reasons behind the move. The government had entrusted the 2006-batch IAS officer with multiple responsibilities, including SC Gurukuls, hoping that centralised leadership will speed up decision-making and improve oversight. But after her return, only two of the three assignments have been taken up and for now, officials have more questions than answers.
On the dais, it is all in the family
Kinship. It’s all the rage these days at political party meetings in the erstwhile Adilabad district. As the exercise of your-presence-has-been-taken-notice-of begins on the dais, more and more leaders are now adding a prefix to the names. This could be Akka, Chellelu, Anna, Bhabi, Thammudu, Kaka, Chicha and Peddanna, commonly used terms in the local lingo. It is not just that relationships matter, which they do, but the act of addressing each person on the dais and setting a kinship tone, apparently bestows some additional respect among the masses listening to their leaders, and for the juniors in the ranks, it is turning out into a matter of privilege to be noticed, and gives an aura of access to senior leaders, something that matters pretty much a lot when they face the common folks who approach them with their grievances.
When it doesn’t work, women keep the wheel moving
Rain or shine. Or even when the ignition key refuses to kick some life into a vehicle. The show must go on. This was the scene at the recent flagging off by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, of buses handed to women’s SHGs under the Mahila Shakti Scheme. The scheme, part of a major push towards empowerment of women, was launched amidst some generous rain showers that even saw the CM getting nearly drenched as he flagged off the buses. But one bus apparently had other plans but did not contend with the determination of the SHG to which it belonged. As the driver turned the ignition key and the engine refused to kick into life, the women from the Narsampet SHG stepped up, undeterred and amidst cheerful laughter lined up and pushed the vehicle, which grudgingly rolled forward to applause. Officials, watched as a spontaneous moment of collective grit underscored the event’s message: ownership and agency. As the bus finally got its act together, the rain-soaked but triumphant women from Narsampet drove home an apt metaphor — when systems stall, community muscle gets you moving.
Kadiam masters the political waltz
Station Ghanpur MLA Kadiam Srihari, is no stranger to making headlines, which have been aplenty thanks to questions surrounding his political allegiance. After winning on a BRS ticket, he has been seen more with Congress leaders than with those from the party that gave him the ticket in the last elections. He had also survived the inquiry into allegations of party jumping by the Speaker after informing that he merely “working with the Congress government” for his constituency’s good — a line that helped him dodge disqualification. But now, he appears less coy. At an electricity sub-station inauguration with Dy CM Bhatti Vikramarka and other VIPs, Srihari led loud ‘Jai Congress’ chants and urged the crowd to follow suit. Mobile phones did the rest, clips went viral, supplying his critics with gleeful ammunition, that might be put to use later if the disqualification bogey rises again at some future date. But for now, Kadiam seems to be in no hurry to slow down on his association with Congress leaders.
Contributions from L. Venkat Ram Reddy, Pillalamarri Srinivas, Neeraj Kumar