Does Sajjala Have Real Powers?

Being at the helm of affairs and acting de facto could certainly be exciting for anybody. Andhra Pradesh government chief advisory Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy is holding a similar position in the government suggesting and streamlining matters for Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. Reportedly, Sajjala is a troubleshooter in the government.

At the same time, he is also being criticized for his interference into every issue. In fact, the staff associated with administration and governance and even the ministers are blaming Sajjala for all decisions being against them. For those not happy with the decisions of the ruling party, Sajjala is the main culprit.

Party senior leaders whose names have not appeared in the Cabinet 2.0 list are unhappy and pointing fingers at Sajjala. During the recent strike by the state government employees too, many employees faulted Sajjala for not doing justice to them and unnecessarily interfering into issues that are not concerned with him.

In the Cabinet reshuffle, home minister Mekathoti Sucharita’s tenure was not renewed. Macharla MLA Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy and Nellore Rural MLA Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy who aspired for ministerial berths also were disappointed. Sympathisers of these MLAs are fuming at Sajjala for not selecting their leaders for the minister posts.

Does Sajjala really have ultimate powers to decide who should occupy be MLAs and ministers is really a big question. According to party sources, Sajjala will not be allowed to wield power to override Jagan’s decisions. For that matter, none in the party has the capability to exert pressure on the Chief Minister. There is talk that Jagan himself had taken the decision on who should be the ministers and who should be dropped. There are only 25 ministerial berths in the cabinet but the YCP has over 151 MLAs.

Irrespective of the choice, the remaining 125 MLAs will always be annoyed. In such a situation, Jagan should have had clarity on whom to retain and induct. Sajjala cannot influence Jagan over his choice. It is an open secret that Jagan acts at his own whims and fancies. Sajjala can only suggest and advise after Jagan’s decision but cannot dictate terms on who should be picked from the lot but unfortunately, Sajjala is bearing the brunt of dissidence.