Sridhar Babu dismisses reports of secret ministers’ meeting

IT and Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu dismissed reports of a secret ministers’ meeting, calling them misleading. He said discussions were routine and administrative, and cautioned against speculative reporting that could undermine democratic discourse.

Hyderabad: IT and Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu on Tuesday dismissed reports describing a recent meeting of Ministers, including himself, as a ‘secret meeting’, stating that such claims were misleading.

In a statement here, the Minister said that in a democratic system, discussions among those holding constitutional responsibilities should not be misrepresented or given unwarranted political colour. He expressed concern over what he described as false narratives being circulated on social media and by certain sections of the media.

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“The Cabinet functions as a collective unit. Coordination among senior Ministers on governance-related issues is part of our responsibility to ensure smooth administration,” he said, adding that the meeting took place at the residence of Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and focused on administrative matters. Clarifying the circumstances, Sridhar Babu said that after the ‘At Home’ programme at Lok Bhavan, the Ministers travelled together in a single vehicle, openly and in full public view, and that there was nothing covert about the interaction.

The discussions also included preparedness for the forthcoming municipal elections, which he said was a routine and legitimate part of political activity in a democratic system. “Portraying such discussions as secretive is unwarranted,” he said, adding that the government welcomed constructive criticism but cautioned that speculative reporting and personal attacks undermine democratic discourse.

On Monday, TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud had also defended the Ministers’ meeting with Bhatti Vikramarka during Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s abroad tour, saying it was a routine practice.

“When the Chief Minister is abroad, there is nothing wrong in Ministers holding a meeting regarding administrative aspects. I presume Bhatti Vikramarka had held a meeting over the administrative aspects,” Goud told reporters in New Delhi.

Reports in some sections of the media emerged after Sridhar Babu, Adluri Laxman Kumar and N Uttam Kumar Reddy held a lengthy meeting with Bhatti Vikramarka on Monday. As all four Ministers belong to the ‘old guard’ of the Congress and are said not to be on the best of terms with Revanth Reddy, reports speculated that the meeting was held in the backdrop of recent media reports against some of them, including Bhatti Vikramarka, allegedly at the behest of Revanth Reddy.