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I have nothing against anybody: Satyanarayana Rao

Syed Amin Jafri in Hyderabad

S B P B K Satyanarayana Rao, the octogenarian politician from Andhra Pradesh, who quit as Union minister of state for agriculture, said on Saturday that it was as an 'austerity measure'.

''I have put in my papers. When there is no work in the ministry, why should I waste government money? I feel happy that (by quitting) I won't be wasting government money without doing any work," he told rediff.com

Rao, who is camping at a guesthouse in the city, however, refused to blame anybody for his resignation. "I have nothing against anybody. The minister (Nitish Kumar) does not figure in this. If anything, it is a matter between the party (Bharatiya Janata Party) and the government," he remarked. However, the bitterness in his voice could not be mistaken.

He declined to be drawn into discussion on what prompted him to quit. "What I have in mind is there in the resignation letter. You can see it," he explained. However, sources in the state BJP and those close to him say that he was eased out by the prime minister, to make place in the Union Cabinet for another representative from Andhra Pradesh.

Rao, it is said, sent in his resignation following hints from the Prime Minister's Office.

"It is true that he is unhappy. Not much importance was given to him by Union Minister for Agriculture Nitish Kumar. In fact, he was treated shabbily by the Cabinet minister and bureaucrats. He also felt unhappy that he was not in a position to do anything for his followers and his constituency. All this could have prompted him to quit gracefully," a source pointed out.

In fact, during Kumar's visit on August 26, as head of a 10-member central team to assess the flood situation in Andhra Pradesh, Rao was prevented by security personnel from entering Kumar's room. BJP legislators Prem Singh Rathore and Dr K Laxman shouted at the security personnel and, after protests, Rao was let in.

Rao, however, said, "I don't remember the incident. Anyway, it is a very minor issue."

In his resignation letter to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he said he quit in response to an appeal for austerity measures, in view of the adverse fiscal position of the government. "By resigning, I will be able to save some expenditure to the government. My decision is only intended to support your efforts," he told the prime minister.

Rao informed the prime minister, "With gratitude, I acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated September 23, 2000, advising me to ensure compliance with the guidelines/additional instructions on austerity measures as regards expenditure in my ministry as well as expecting me to personally set an example in this regard..."

He added: "As you are aware, ministers of state at the Centre do not have sufficient work, which can justify expenditure incurred by their offices. After considering the words of wisdom contained in your letter, I have come to the conclusion that by resigning from the Union Council of Ministers, I would be saving the exchequer avoidable expenditure."

The resignation has come as a surprise in state political circles as had his inclusion in the Union ministry on October 13 last year. Rao made his debut in the Lok Sabha on a BJP ticket from Rajahmundry constituency in East Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh in the 1999 general election.

Rao, who is from the Kamma caste, has been in public life for over five decades. He is a scion of the erstwhile Kapileswaram zamindari of East Godavari. His elder brother, the late S B P Pattabhirama Rao, was a Union minister in the Cabinets of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. Starting his career with the Congress, Rao served as zilla parishad chairman of East Godavari for a decade. He joined the Janata Party in 1977 and switched over to the Telugu Desam Party during N T Rama Rao's stewardship.

Rao, however, defected to the BJP on the eve of the 1999 election.

He felt the minister of state's post was superfluous unless the incumbent was given independent charge. He also realised that bureaucrats in the ministry would not care for ministers of state because they would take their orders from Cabinet-rank ministers directly. Now, Rao wanted to tell other ministers of state that they should follow suit if they did not want to be a "drain on the exchequer."

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