NEW DELHI: Senior BJP leader Gangapuram Kishan Reddy, who is popularly known as GK Reddy, has charged as Development of Northeastern Region (DoNER) Minister today. Former three-time MLA and BJP floor Leader in Telangana and (undivided) Andhra Pradesh assemblies, Reddy is the only face in the Narendra Modi government from the two Telugu states—Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
As he is one of the prominent faces of the BJP in Telangana, Reddy is a first-term MP from Secunderabad. The 60-year-old minister was assigned three ministries in the Cabinet rejig Culture, Tourism and Development of North Eastern Region (DONER) ministries.
Reddy has become the first Union Cabinet Minister from Telangana when he was sworn-in along with 42 different MPs in the union cabinet expansion ceremony held in Rashtrapati Bhawan on Wednesday due to the cabinet reshuffle. As he was promoted on Wednesday in the wake of serving as the Minister of State for Home Affairs for the past two years, is accepted to be a trusted lieutenant of senior BJP leader Amit Shah.
Reddy is said to have been handpicked by Shah to be his representative when Shah assumed responsibility as the union home minister in 2019. Shah's trust in Reddy was apparent in how duties were divided among Reddy and his fellow MoS Nityanand Rai.
Reddy filled in the shoes of his senior minister after Shah became sick last year and was down and out for almost a fortnight. He has filled in as BJPs state president in the unified territory of AP and furthermore Telangana.
Major Work Done by Former DoNER Minister
Former DoNER Minister Jitendra Singh in April, this year, said that the development of the Northeast is of utmost importance for the Centre. The government is committed to ensure their equitable development. He believed that every region is equally important for everyone and there will be special focus on neglected and deprived areas.
He directed to identify 10 districts in all the northeastern states that lag behind most in governance and developmental parameters. His main focus was to accelerate "Ease of Living" in these districts through smooth delivery of Goods and Services.
What Challenge for New DoNER Minister
Amit Shah endowed Reddy to table a portion of the key Bills including the National Investigation Act (Amendment) Bill 2019, the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (Amendment) Bill 2019, the Government of NCT of Delhi (Amendment) Bill 2021, and the J&K Reorganization (Amendment) Bill, 2021.
It is to be mentioned that Reddy was allotted the significant divisions in the Union home ministry, such as Jammu and Kashmir, Left-wing extremism, the Northeast, Union Territories, women wellbeing, cyber-information security, digital data security, counter-terrorism and counter-radicalisation. Rai was left with organization division, border management, disaster division, police division, and the monetary division.
He started his political career as an ordinary party worker and came up in the association through sheer hard work and assurance. He had filled in as BJP floor pioneer in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Assemblies. The senior BJP pioneer got a recognition in apparatus plans from the Central Institute of Tool Designs in Hyderabad. He was first elected for the Andhra Pradesh Assembly in 2004 from the Himayatnagar voting demographic in Hyderabad.
The new cabinet minister Gangapuram Kishan Reddy dazzled the BJP brass when he talked aggressively against the Chandrashekar Rao's administration's proposal for a 12% standard for Muslims in educational institutes and government jobs in Telangana. In 2017, Reddy additionally requested a CBI test into an alleged "beef mafia" working in Hyderabad. He was elected as an MLA from Himayatnagar constituency in 2004.
Also Watch: