Damodara Rajanarasimha, Laxmikantha Rao skip meeting with TPCC Chief

Hyderabad: Health Minister Damodara Rajanarasimha and Jukkal MLA Laxmikantha Rao skipped a meeting convened by TPCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud at Gandhi Bhavan on Thursday to discuss the controversy over the Minister’s alleged abusive remarks against the MLA in the lobby of Hotel Shangri-La in New Delhi on November 1.

The controversy hit the headlines, prompting the TPCC president to summon both leaders for a closed-door meeting. However, neither the Minister nor the MLA turned up. The Minister had initially agreed to attend the meeting. Mahesh Kumar Goud arrived at Gandhi Bhavan as scheduled, but Rajanarasimha informed him at the last minute that he would not be able to attend the 10.30 am meeting. The Jukkal MLA also expressed his inability to attend, citing different reasons.

Following their absence, Gandhi Bhavan announced that the meeting between the Minister and the MLA had been postponed due to unforeseen reasons. The TPCC president wanted to meet both leaders individually and find a solution to the dispute. He is likely to invite them for another meeting at a later date. “Mahesh Kumar Goud has taken a serious view of the entire episode between Damodara Rajanarasimha and Laxmikantha Rao in New Delhi. The future course of action will be known only after his meeting with both the leaders and their explanation,” a senior leader from Gandhi Bhavan said.

The Health Minister is accused of threatening the Jukkal MLA with dire consequences after the latter allegedly refused to follow his instructions on sand mining in the constituency. Rajanarasimha is also reportedly unhappy with the MLA over his alleged involvement in the appointment of P Chandrashekhar Reddy as Sangareddy DCC president, a choice that was reportedly against the Minister’s preference.