EC finally permits AP govt to conduct cabinet meeting

A showdown between the officials and the Telugu Desam government got averted with the Election Commission (EC) granting permission for the proposed Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. The meeting will be held here at 3 pm.

The agenda approved by the screening committee headed by the Chief Secretary, and then by the State Chief Electoral Officer and the EC includes Fani cyclone relief, drinking water situation, seasonal conditions and employment.

Chief Secretary L V Subrahmanyam had made it clear that permission by the EC is a must to undertake a cabinet meeting when the code of conduct was in operation. Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu who initially called for the meeting on 10 May, postponed it to 14 May.

However, when the permission from EC was delayed, the government was gearing up for an alternative, including conducting review meetings if the permission for a full-scale cabinet meeting was not given.

The Chief Secretary met Chief Minister Naidu on Monday morning and apprised him of the situation as there was no permission by the EC yet. Due to the long gap of 40 days between the day of polling and the day of counting, Naidu’s government alleged discrimination against non-BJP ruled states.

The bureaucrats who were barred by the chief secretary from attending review meetings by the chief minister or the ministers of his cabinet have heaved a sigh of relief after the EC granted the permission.

The government made it clear that the cabinet meeting was required to plan for the severe heat wave in the state, the impact of Fani cyclone and pending payments for employment guarantee programme.