FINGERS CROSSED

Suspense is building up in the HRD Ministry over whether minister Pallam Raju will go or stay on.

FINGERS CROSSED

Suspense is building up in the HRD Ministry over whether minister Pallam Raju will go or stay on. While he has not come to office or attended any HRD related public event ever since the Union Cabinet announced the creation of Telangana,it is being keenly watched whether he will skip or attend two significant events coming up this week. While the meeting of the CABE apex education advisory body is slated for October 10,there is an event scheduled to be held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on October 9 to confer awards on exponents of classical Tamil. Meanwhile,Raju being persuaded to rethink his resignation is facing the heat in his constituency Kakinada where policemen had to resort to a lathicharge to disperse agitating mobs from outside his house.

THANKS,BUT NO THANKS

Senior IPS officer Aruna Bahuguna,currently posted as Special DG,CRPF,is learnt to have turned down the offer to take over as Andhra Pradesh DGP. With previous DGP V Dinesh Reddy retiring on September 30,Bahuguna,who is the senior-most IPS officer of AP cadre,was the natural choice for the post. She,however,declined the offer on personal grounds. Till a final decision is taken,B Prasada Rao has been appointed acting DGP. Had Bahuguna accepted the offer she could have been the first woman DGP of the state.

TOUR SPANNER

The ongoing shutdown has affected several departments,institutions and programmes in the US but has also had its impact on India. Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh who was to visit the US in the second week of October has postponed his visit due to the effects of the shutdown. Several crucial visits have also been called off by US dignitaries. The General is now expected to visit the US in November after a fresh set of dates are decided and Washington manages to wrangle its way out of the shutdown.

FAST POLITICS

TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu,who began his indefinite fast Monday,has created an unusual problem for officers of Andhra Bhawan in the Capital. Though he had been granted permission by the Delhi Police to stage his fast at Jantar Mantar,Naidu sprang a surprise by sitting on fast inside the Andhra Bhawan premises. Repeated requests from Andhra Bhawan officials to move the protest out of the premises failed to elicit any response from him. The officials are in a spot since if they forcibly evict him,the TDP leader is certain to allege victimisation by the ruling Congress. However,two Congress MPs Ponnam Prabhakar and Sircilla Rajaiah have alleged that Naidus protest inside Andhra Bhawan was facilitated by Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy.