If the latest developments are any indication, it appears that CM Revanth Reddy is sidelining the IT & Industries Minister Sridhar Babu. Recently, Revanth met delegations of various industries and Sridhar Babu was not present in those meetings.
Yesterday, the senior representatives of Ballarpur Industries Limited called on Revanth Reddy but Sridhar Babu was not part of the discussion. The same was the case during the meeting with the Coca-Cola delegation. Revanth discussed the details about Coca-Cola’s ongoing operations in Telangana and assured them of all the support without the presence of the Industries Minister.
A few days back, Sridhar Babu was not seen when the Welspun group chairman met the CM in the Secretariat. What’s more surprising is that the CM met with the representatives of the Confederation of Indian Industries and announced a mega master plan for industrial development in Telangana without involving the Industries Minister in the meeting. Furthermore, Sridhar Babu was absent from the meeting where the CM instructed the officials to identify land parcels for new industrial corridors.
Sources indicate that during a recent review meeting of the IT & Industries Department, officials informed Minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu that due to the persistent efforts of erstwhile Minister KTR, several marquee companies have come forward to invest in Telangana. Around 15 of these investments are supposed to be concluded on the sidelines of the WEF meeting in January, with the rest to be finalized and announced at the Bio Asia summit scheduled in February.
When Minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu conveyed the same to the CM, the latter immediately sensed an opportunity. CM Revanth Reddy seems to have decided to utilize the WEF Davos platform to bolster his image as a pro-business leader. Minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu, who would have become the centre of attraction at Davos, will now have to content himself by sharing the dais with CM Revanth Reddy.
Taken together, these developments indicate that CM Revanth Reddy is sidelining the IT & Industries Minister Sridhar Babu for obvious reasons.