The decision taken by YSR Congress party president and Leader of Opposition Y S Jaganmohan Reddy to nominate Dhone MLA Rajendranath Reddy as the chairman of Public Accounts Committee in Andhra Pradesh Assembly, has raised many eyebrows not only within the party, but also in the political circles.
The PAC chairman post is very crucial as it has the rank of Cabinet minister with enormous powers to scrutinize the accounts of the government departments and point out loopholes.
Its recommendations are taken seriously by the Comptroller and Auditor General and will help the government curtail financial irregularities. Needless to say, it is also a lucrative post as the PAC chairman can make big money if he overlooks certain big scams.
Normally, the PAC chairman post is given to the senior-most member of the main Opposition party. The members are also relatively senior with fair understanding on the government functioning.
However, Jagan is learnt to have deliberately chosen Rajendranath Reddy, a first time MLA, ignoring senior most members like Jyothula Nehru, or Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy or N Amarnath Reddy.
The pro-TDP media tried to use this decision to create unrest among the YSR Congress party members, saying that Jagan had deliberately ignored a senior Kapu leader like Nehru and that there is strong resentment brewing among the seniors against Jagan.
Sources, however, said Jagan has preferred loyalty over seniority in choosing PAC chairman.
Last time, he had given the post to Nandyal MLA Bhuma Nagi Reddy, but he had dumped the party to defect to the TDP. So, it was natural for him to suspect the loyalty of Jyothula Nehru as well, as he had come from the TDP. There is also a talk that Amarnath Reddy also might shift the loyalty one day or the other.
So, there is nothing wrong in Jagan’s idea of selecting Rajendranath Reddy, who is also an intellectual and a good orator.
