Information and Public Relation Minister D K Aruna on Thursday said that the government is willing to conduct the elections for Panchayat Raj institutions, contrary to reports stating that the stay on the polls by a Division Bench of the Andhra Pradesh High Court has given the ruling Congress a lifeline.
Talking to media persons after attending the Cabinet meeting at the Secretariat, Ms Aruna asserted that the government was willing to conduct the polls for the PR Institutions, in response to calls for clarifications on the High Court ruling.
Asked to clarify the government stand on the High Courts recent ruling striking down GO 128 in respect of the quota for BCs, the Minister said that the government was in favour of PR elections in the light of Apex Courts Order that the ceiling of 50 percent be observed.
Earlier, she made clear that the state Cabinet did not discuss on GO 128 at all. The government is for polls at any time, Ms Aruna said.
Meanwhile, official sources say that the government has another months time, till July 21, to arrive at a decision to go ahead with the said polls.(INN)
Committed to providing infrastructure to govt schools: Aruna
2011/8/9 9:09:50 The state government is committed to provide all necessary infrastructures to all government schools on par with private schools, said Minister for Information and Public Relations Department DK Aruna on Tuesday.
She was speaking after laying foundation stones for construction of Zilla Parishad High school new building at Anathapur, Yelkoor and Amaravai villages in Gadwal constituency in Mahabubnagar district on Tuesday.
Ms Aruna further said that the Government schools will also be provided teaching staff full strength to improve education standard and exhorted the teachers to work hard in giving quality education to students for their bright future.
The Minister emphasised that not even a single child should be left from the school to increase the literacy rate. The Government has sanctioned new high school buildings wherever required, she said.
Ms Aruna also said that education is the only way to get comprehensive development and upliftment of society.
During last seven years the Government has appointed adequate teachers in the schools and in addition to that, qualified volunteers also appointed wherever vacancies of teachers, the Minister said.
She called upon the students to avail opportunities being extending by the government.
The RDO Narayanareddy, Market Committee Chairman Gaddem Krishnareddy, participated in the programme.(INN)
We know that ministers are arrogant and a law unto themselves. But what people saw in Tirumala the other day was shocking. Minister Galla Aruna Kumari entered the temple with her chappals.
The shocked priests tried to reason with her and asked her to remover her chappals. The minister did not listen.
What was even more shocking was her ignorance. Aruna Kumari said that nobody told her that she cannot enter the temple with chappals!!!
Aruna admits lobbying for Tirupati seat ticket for her son
2012/4/21 3:23:38 Tirupati, April 21 (INN): Minister for Mines and Geology Galla Aruna Kumari on Saturday said that she would continue her efforts to get Congress ticket for her son Jaya Deva from Tirupati Assembly constituency in the ensuing by-elections.
Talking to media persons at Padmavathi Guest House, Galla Aruna Kumari said that there was no question of dropping from the contest and she would continue her efforts to get the ticket. She said, “I am making sincere efforts to get the ticket for Jaya Deva, whatever be the outcome."
As Chittoor was the home district of Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, she said that the decision of the Chief Minister would be final with regard to Jaya Deva's candidature. However, she admitted that the Chief Minister would select a candidate having good prospects of winning the election.
Aruna claimed that even if her son fails to get the ticket, she would not take it seriously and would work to ensure the victory of party's official candidate.
Earlier, Galla Aruna Kumari met the Chief Minister, who came to district as part of Prajapatham programme.
Galla meets Chiranjeevi over her son's candidature from Tirupati
2012/4/29 6:58:04 Hyderabad, April 29 (INN): Mines and Geology Minister Galla Aruna Kumari on Sunday called on Rajya Sabha MP K Chiranjeevi at latter's residence in Jubilee Hills.
Aruna Kumari has reportedly sought Chiranjeevi's help to get Congress ticket for her son G Jaydev from the Tirupati assembly seat in the by-elections to be held on June 12. Tirupati seat fell vacant after Chiranjeevi's resignation following his election to the Rajya Sabha.
Jaydev, who accompanied Aruna Kumar, reportedly assured Chiranjeevi that he was the most suitable candidate and could win the by-elections. However, sources say, that Chiranjeevi declined to give any commitment to Aruna Kumari and said the final decision on the candidature would be decided by the Congress High Command.
2011/6/11 9:45:30 Former Endowments minister Jupally Krishna Rao resumed his padayatra from Ayija mandal under Gadwal Assembly constituency, weeks after it was suspended after tension between his and Information Minister DK Arunas supporters clashed.
Mr Krishna Rao and Ms Aruna had been taken under preventive custody by the police to prevent the situation deteriorating further after the Information and Public Relations Minister had objected to the then Endowments Minister going ahead with the padayatra in her constituency.
According to sources, the party high chiefs were able to convince Ms Aruna to allow Mr Krishna Rao unhindered access in the constituency. It is believed that the party bosses prevailed on Ms Aruna that she was being seen as anti-Telangana with her opposition, not to mention that the partys image was taking a beating.
Sources say that new Pradesh Congress Committee president Botsa Satyanarayana was involved in the attempts to convince Ms Aruna and he met with success, albeit with the condition that the padayatra must be completed within a day.
Saturdays resumption of the padayatra saw heightened security being provided on the padayatra route, which began at 6 AM.
Speaking to media persons during the day-long padayatra, Mr Krishna Rao said that his exercise was to highlight the Telangana statehood demand and appealed to them not to attach any other motive to it.
He appealed that neither politics nor personal gains should be attributed to his sincere efforts towards separate statehood. Mr Krishna Rao also appealed to the people to participate widely in the padayatra.
The just concluded by polls were by far the most interesting and bitterly contested by polls ever in the state. It is none other than the big separate Telangana issue that was the main reason behind the by polls. For KCR, these polls are a do or die battle. The future of KCR as well as that of the TRS hinges on the results of the by polls.
The exit polls have not exactly pleased KCR. Even the pre-poll surveys reported that the TRS was sure to lose some seats.
According to the exit poll results, the TRS may retain about 10 assembly seats from the 16 that it held before the by polls. Out of the four Lok Sabha seats, the TRS is ahead in two and neck and neck in the third seat. So here also, the TRS is set to lose one or two seats.
The ruling congress is expected to bag anywhere between three and four assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat. Even the TDP is expected to romp home with two or three assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat.
The counting will begin at 8.00 a.m. on Sunday and the results will be out in about two hours time, i.e.by 10.00 a.m. Till then the guessing game continues and the leaders are all tensed up.
2012/5/6 1:58:24 Ongole, May 6 (INN): Bharatiya Janata Party national secretary Dr K Laxman on Sunday predicted the fall of Kiran Kumar Reddy Government after the by-elections.
Talking to reporters here, Dr Laxman said that the State administration was in bad shape in the State and it would deteriorate further after the announcement of by-elections' results. He said the misadministration and political uncertainty would lead to the collapse of Kiran Kumar Reddy Government after the by-polls.
The BJP leader also alleged that thousands of acres of land belonging to farmers was alienated to the private companies by the successive governments. He said former chief ministers YS Rajasekhara Reddy and N Chandrababu Naidu were two sides of the same fabric and both of them indulged in irregularities to favour private companies. The Comptroller General of India in its recent report has revealed that about 88,000 acres of lands has been alienated to the private companies in violation of the rules, he said.
Dr Laxman announced that the BJP would contest from a majority of 18 assembly seats where by-elections would be held on June 12. While expressing confidence of winning the elections, he said the by-polls would also help the party to guage the sentiments related to separate Telangana and united Andhra Pradesh.
2012/2/18 6:56:50 To the surprise of many, the Congress on Saturday came out with the list of its candidates for Mahabunbnagar, Nagarkurnool and Kollapur Assembly constituencies for which the by-elections are scheduled to be held on March 18.
Talking to media persons after emerging out of meeting with Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy at his camp Office over the selection of aspirants list, Information Minister D K Aruna and Information Technology Minister Ponnala Laxmaiah said that the party has tentatively decided to field Vijaya Lakshmi from Mahbubnagar, Damodar Reddy from Nagarkurnool and Vishnuvardhan Reddy from Kollapur constituency.
However, the ministers said that the candidates' list would be finalised on Sunday after the getting the high command's nod.
Vijaya Lakshmi is the widow of Rajeswar Reddy, the independent MLA and Congress supporter, whose death due to heart attack necessitated the by-polls.
The other seats fell vacant after Nagam Janardhan Reddy of TDP and Jupally Krishna Rao from Congress resigned from their parties and posts for the cause of Telangana State. (INN)
Aruna launches renewed attack on Jupallys padayatra
2011/6/12 2:57:00 Forced to remain silent for a day after the Congress party high chiefs advised her to allow Mr Jupally Krishna Rao unhindered access in her constituency for his padayatra on Telangana, Information and Public Relations Minister DK Aruna on Sunday indicated her patience was running short and lashed out at the former Endowments minister, accusing him of utilising the padayatra to gain an upper hand over her.
Talking to media persons at Shadnagar of Mahabubnagar district, Ms Aruna described the rally as a personal image-building exercise carried out by the former Endowments minister.
She added that the padayatra had nothing to do with the Congress party and was taken out by the Kollapur MLA to boost his image in the district.
He is conspiring with my rivals to boost his image. His resignation from the Cabinet is not because of his sentiments for Telangana but to build his own image and get publicity and mileage for himself, the Information and Public Relations Minister said.
Why had he not taken out the padayatra when he was the Civil Supplies Minister but did so after being assigned the Endowments portfolio? Ms Aruna questioned.
Mr Krishna Rao had conducted the padayatra in Gadwel on Saturday, beginning it at 6 AM after an understanding was reached that he would complete it in Ms Arunas constituency by the evening.
According to sources, the party bosses prevailed on Ms Aruna that she was being seen as anti-Telangana with her opposition to the padayatra, not to mention that the partys image was taking a beating.
However, a day after the padayatra wound its way through her constituency, Ms Arunas anger burst forth and she said that, no one from Gadwal, (her home constituency), are participating in Mr Krishna Raos padayatra. Only my rivals and his close supporters are supporting the padayatra.
Meanwhile, Mr Krishna Rao changed the route of his padayatra following the understanding and proceeded straight to Gadwal from Aiyja, covering 28 kilometres touching Bingidoddi, Tatikunta, Sasampalli, Saddalonipalli, Amaravai, Budidapadu, Peddapalli, Kurvapalli and Paramala villages.(INN)
2011/11/5 21:17:39 (IANS) Two months after the arrest of mining baron and former Karnataka minister G. Janardhana Reddy on charges of illegal mining, a formal probe into the role of his wife Aruna Lakshmi in the scandal began Saturday.
The Central Bureau of Investigation, which arrested Reddy Sep 5, Saturday registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Aruna Lakshmi, a requirement under law to begin formal investigation in a case, agency sources said.
Aruna Lakshmi owns, along with her arrested husband, the Associated Mining Company (AMC), whose main office is in the iron-ore rich Bellary district, about 300 km from Bangalore.
The couple also owns the Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC), which has its main office in Anantpur town in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.
Reddy is in Hyderabad's Chanchalaguda jail in a case of illegal mining in Andhra Pradesh.
The FIR against Aruna Lakshmi, registered in Bangalore, came a month after CBI teams raided the AMC offices in Bellary and registered an FIR against Reddy, for the first time in Karnataka.
Along with Aruna Lakshmi, 20 others are also being probed, the sources said but declined to give the names.
AMC, Aruna Lakshmi and others are under scanner following Sep 23 Supreme Court directive to CBI to investigate the linkage between the multi-crore-rupee illegal mining in Bellary district and Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh, allegedly involving Reddy.
According to CBI, the iron ore mined by AMC was routed through OMC.
The turf war between Information and Public Relations Minister DK Aruna and Endowment Minister Jupally Krishna Rao took another turn after the former demanded that the latter prove his commitment to the Telangana cause.
Talking to media persons after emerging out of a meeting held at Rajya Sabha Member K Kesava Raos residence, Ms Aruna described Mr Krishna Raos Prajabhiyan Yatra as a means of furthering his political career.
I have never raised objections to Prajabhiyan Yatra. I had questioned him why he had not taken up the Yatra under the party flag. Mr Krishna Rao has taken up the Padayatra only to further his self interest and to gain political mileage on the Telangana issue, the IPR Minister stated.
Ms Aruna further denied the allegations leveled by Mr Krishna Rao on Tuesday that some people were objecting to his padayatra after coming under the influence of Seemandhra leaders. The Endowments Minister had also demanded that these influenced leaders clarify the strategy they were adopting on the Telangana statehood issue.
Responding to this, Ms Aruna demanded that the Endowments Minister himself make his strategy clear on the Telangana agitations. She further said that she would not respond to his allegations. There is no need to react on his baseless comments, she stated.
When asked to comment on Mr Krishna Rao submitting his resignation from the Cabinet to the Governor, Ms Aruna said, I do not want to make any comment on his resignation. It is his personal decision.
She said that she would work for protecting party interests and take a decision on Telangana collectively with all leaders.
The meeting was attended by MPs including G Vivek, senior leader Mallu Ravi and party leaders from Mahabubnagar district.
2008/4/16 8:05:13 The election commission has finally drawn up the schedule for the by polls to the seats vacated by the TRS and for Khairatabad where the vacancy has been caused by the untimely death of PJR. The polls will be held on May 29. The nomination process will commence from March 2. The results will be announced on June 1.
So it is going to be a 'really hot' summer this year. The congress party and the TDP have only something to gain but nothing much to lose. The polls are an acid test for KCR as the onus of getting all the MLAs and MPs who resigned recently elected once again rests on him. There is a strong resistance to some of the candidates from within the party.
2012/3/29 7:08:24 Information and Public Relations Minister D K Aruna on Thursday accused the leaders of the Mahbubnagar district for politicizing the Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS) to get mileage on it.
Talking to media persons at Assembly Media Point, Aruna condemned the political leaders for provoking people in villages on RDS to get political mileage on water sharing. She said that the government was taking all measures to release 2 TMC of water from the RDS by Friday evening to meet the drinking water needs of villages in Mahbubnagar district.
Reiterating that the government was committed to resolve people’s issues on top priority, she said that the political leaders were creating unnecessary controversy in the district on the RDS. She advised the leaders in the district not to create differences between the people of Kurnool and Mahbubnagar and spoil their relationship. (INN)
Minister Galla Aruna Kumari today has entered into Kanipakam Temple wearing slippers. She comes to offer the traditional ‘Pattu Vastralu’ to presiding deity Sri Kanipaka Vinayaka Swamy on behalf of the Government on the eve of Vinayaka Chavithi.
She was accompanied by the newly appointed TTD Chairman Kanumuri Bapiraju, Endowment Commissioner Balaramayya and other officers of the Temple. But, none of them have dared to raise objection against her. Devotees were very angry and strongly criticized her irresponsive behavior. Later, when she came to know about TV scrolling on this issue, she told the media that her health condition is not well and that’s why she wore the slippers.
Galla Aruna Kumari, earlier also enters the Tirumala Temple with slippers and then also she faces severe criticism from all sections of people. She now has proved that she will not bother about such criticism.
The crucial by polls in Kadapa and Pulivendula will be held tomorrow. The situation in Kadapa is tense and the election commission has pressed into service a large number of police personnel in all the places in the two constituencies.
DGP Aravinda Rao stated that all arrangements are in place to conduct polls in a free and fair manner. Additional police forces are being brought in from Tamil Nadu and Kerala to be deployed in Kadapa.
TRS chief K Chandra Shekar Rao claims that the state will go to elections early next year. KCR predicted that there world be snap polls to the state assembly in March 2008. Elections are due only in 2009 but even some congressmen do not rule out advancement of polls in the state.
2012/5/16 3:10:44 Hyderabad, May 16 (INN): Mines and Geology Minister Galla Aruna Kumari on Wednesday informed that the State Government would promote manufacturing and usage of artificial sand in the State.
Talking to reporters after holding a meeting with the owners of stone crushing units at the State Secretariat, Aruna Kumari informed that as against the demand of about two crore cubic metres of sand, the supply was of 1.70 crore cubic metres. To bridge the gap, she said that the government would promote manufacturing and usage of artificial sand. This can be produced by the robotic units as well as it can be manufactured through filtering of regular sand.
Aruna Kumari said that the demand for sand would continue to rise in the future. Therefore, she said the government would launch a campaign to promote the alternates. She said it would cost around Rs 3 crore to set up a robotic unit. She said the government would also take measures to get environmental clearances for sand mining in the State.
2012/3/3 6:51:19 Chief Electoral Officer Bhanwar Lal on Saturday stated that 13,81,443 voters including 11,962 new voters will cast their franchise in the by-elections to be held in seven Assembly constituencies in the State.
Talking to media persons after conducting a review meeting with officials on the last day of withdrawal of nominations, he said that the police have so far seized 240 vehicles, Rs 3.6 crore cash and 72,000 liters of liquor being transported in and around the assembly segments and arrested 358 persons as part of precautionary measure.
He said that the Election Commission has also received 10 complaints in connection with violation of poll code. He said the Commission has directed the Mahbubnagar District Collector to submit a report on Information Minister D K Aruna in connection with violation of election code. (INN)
2008/5/12 2:09:34 The ensuing by polls are turning out to be a big source of worry and headache to the TRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao. Many TRS activist themselves are saying of the record that the party will not be able to retain all the 16 assembly seas and the four parliament seats.
The reasons for the setback are being put squarely at the door of KCR. He is being blamed to have forced the MLAs to quit and go in for fresh polls. Many TRS MLAs have a pos rerecord as legislators in the last fours years. The people in their consistencies are none to happy with their track record.
KCRs highhandedness and internal bickering will cost the party dearly, say some senior TRS men. By current indications, the TRS is facing an uphill task in two Lok Sabha and eight assembly constituencies i.e. in 50 percent of the seats.
2011/11/29 14:41:53 Information and Public Relations Minister D K Aruna on Tuesday stated that former Endowment minister Jupally Krishna Rao could not dictate terms to Telangana ministers on the statehood issue.
Participating as chief guest in the Rachabanda programme held at Kollahpur in the district, Aruna said that the Congress party has a clear stand on the Telangana statehood issue and no one could dictate terms to the party. “There is no need to learn lessons from Jupally Krishna Rao and party has clear stand on the Telangana state,” she said. She expressed confidence that the high command would take a decision on the Telangana impasse soon.
The Minister asked Jupally to clarify whether he would support the candidature of other person if Telangana Rashtra Samithi nominates him in the by-elections.
Earlier, the Mahabubnagar police took Jupally Krishna Rao and other leaders of the Telangana Joint Action Committee into preventive custody in view of the Rachabanda programme in the Kollahpur constituency. (INN)
(IANS) Two months after the arrest of mining baron and former Karnataka minister G. Janardhana Reddy on charges of illegal mining, a formal probe into the role of his wife Aruna Lakshmi in the scandal began Saturday.
Information and Public Relations Minister D K Aruna on Thursday accused the leaders of the Mahbubnagar district for politicizing the Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS) to get mileage on it.
Information and Public Relations Minister D K Aruna on Tuesday stated that former Endowment minister Jupally Krishna Rao could not dictate terms to Telangana ministers on the statehood issue.
