Dharmana’s fate appears bleak

Road and buildings minister Dharmana Prasada Rao appears to be on his way out. His resignation letter, lying on the chief minister’s table, is likely to be accepted sooner than later with the Congress high command intent on not sparing any minister who has a corruption tag attached to him.

According to sources in the state Congress, PCC chief Botcha Satyanarayana on Friday submitted a report to general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad on the charges against Dharmana in the charge sheet filed by the CBI in the alleged illegal assets case against YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.

A senior leader in the state Congress divulged that after going through the charges, the AICC top brass has come to a conclusion that it cannot afford to spare Dharmana.

The high command summoned Botcha to Delhi so as to take a final call on Dharmana’s resignation. The PCC chief is likely to leave for Delhi either Saturday or Monday.

Against the backdrop of these developments, Botcha called on governor E S L Narasimhan at Raj Bhavan on Friday evening and held talks with him for over an hour.

Ministers Uttam Kumar Reddy, D L Ravindra Reddy and Kondru Murali Mohan called on the PCC chief at the latter’s residence separately and discussed the issue.  Dharmana too called on the PCC chief twice on Friday.

Apart from MP K Chiranjeevi, ministers P Lakshmaiah, G Srinivasa Rao, KV Krishna Reddy, K Murali Mohan, Baswaraj Saraiah and Ahmdullah, former speaker K R Suresh Reddy and TRS MLA Jupalli Krishna Rao are some of the prominent leaders who paid a visit to Dharmana’s house on Friday.

Two ministers D L Ravindra Reddy and B Saraiah met deputy chief minister Damodara Rajanarasimha at the latter’s chambers in Secretariat and discussed the issue. With uncertainty over what would happen to him and having seen the fate that had befallen his colleague Mopidevi Venkataramana, Dharmana appeared to be breaking under pressure on Friday.