HYDERABAD: PCC president Botcha Satyanarayana is believed to be lending moral support to labour minister Danam Nagender in his fight against chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy for slashing of VAT on textiles from four to one per cent.“The cabinet is meant for discussing issues and taking decisions.When YSR was the chief minister, we used to have discussions on issues.Regardless of whether one is able to convince the chief minister, discussions should take place,” he told his confidants while reacting to Danam Nagender’s unhappiness with the chief minister.He, however, said it was Danam Nagender who had to fight his battle.“If he has a grouse, he should sort it out with the chief minister.But what I want to say is that all decisions by the government should be discussed by the cabinet first,” Satyanarayana said.Nagender, who has been ill at ease with Kiran Kumar Reddy for quite some time now, is understood to have written a letter to the chief minister wanting to know why he slashed VAT now and why he had opposed it when he made the same proposal to him at a cabinet meeting a month ago.“The chief minister’s action sends wrong signals.I am requesting him to keep the decision on hold and discuss it at the next cabinet meting,” Nagender told mediapersons at the Secretariat on Tuesday.Danam was sore that the chief minister and the finance minister had opposed his proposal for a cut in VAT on the pretext that it would affect small-time traders and cause a loss of Rs 1,000 crore to the state exchequer and lead to denial of grants by the Centre.‘‘I was portrayed as one trying to harm the interests of the state.Now the chief minister himself has done it on representation from someone else,” he said.Nagender has recently caused a flutter saying that he did not understand why Kiran Reddy was remaining silent on Jagan Mohan Reddy , though, as leader of the team, he should attack him.Now, he has made this attack on the chief minister.The chief minister’s office, however, said it did not receive any letter from Nagender.The chief minister’s aides say Nagender’s grouse against the chief minister was misplaced because the chief minister had promised to constitute a cabinet sub-committee to study his proposal.“The sub-committee, after studying the proposal, advised the chief minister to slash the VAT on textiles.The chief minister simply followed the advice.Since it had been decided that the cabinet sub- committee would advise the chief minister on what he should do on the issue, there is no need to discuss the sub-committee’s decision once again,” an official said.According to sources, relations between Nagender and Kiran Kumar Reddy became strained after the latter had turned down the former’s request for change of portfolio from labour to municipal administration
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