Naidu hints at reshuffle

HYDERABAD, NOV 6: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu today said that he would reshuffle his Cabinet after assessing the perfo...

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HYDERABAD, NOV 6: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu today said that he would reshuffle his Cabinet after assessing the performance of ministers but did not indicate any time frame for this exercise.

Speaking to mediapersons after the swearing in of Uma Devi as Cabinet minister, Naidu said he has been reviewing the performance of ministers and would go in for a reshuffle at an “appropriate time”.

Asked about the expectation among several Telugu Desam MLAs for ministerial berths, the Chief Minister said: “The inclusion of Uma has nothing to do with expansion or reconstitution of the Cabinet. She has been taken to fill the void created by the death of Madhava Reddy who sacrificed his life for the cause of people.”

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When a reporter questioned whether a reshuffle was not required since he has already completed one year in office in the second term, the chief minister said: “I will not do it every year like Congress governments. Reshuffling should serve some purpose.”

He also ruled out the possibility of TDP joining the Vajpayee Government at the Centre. “Our (party) Politburo has taken a decision not to join the NDA Government and there is no change in that stand,” he replied.