Hyderabad: Endowments ministers in both the Telugu states have not been blessed with a full term in office, with just one notable exception.With Konda Surekha being shown the door by the Congress, ending her tenure prematurely, the latest development has brought back focus on a decades-old trend surrounding the portfolio. The long list of leaders who had a curtailed tenure as endowments minister includes Andhra Pradesh’s first woman minister TN Sadalakshmi, former prime minister PV Narasimha Rao and C Ramachandraiah, the last endowments minister of united Andhra Pradesh.The trend, which goes as far back as 1960s, continued even after bifurcation, with frequent changes and controversies around the endowments ministry in residual Andhra Pradesh, too. Telangana, however, produced a striking exception in P Indrakaran Reddy, who held the portfolio from 2014 through both BRS governments until 2023.Sadalakshmi, who served as endowments minister from 1962 to 1964 in the Neelam Sanjiva Reddy cabinet, was the first woman to hold the portfolio. A vocal proponent of separate Telangana, Sadalakshmi took decisions aimed at bringing reforms in temple administration, including providing priestly training to Dalits. However, her initiatives met with opposition from a section, and she was shifted to social welfare after about a year.PV Narasimha Rao took charge of endowments in 1964 under K Brahmananda Reddy and continued until 1967 elections. After the formation of a new cabinet, Rao was given the health ministry.Turbulent yearsThe political turbulence of early 1970s shortened many a tenures. R Ramalinga Raju was endowments minister during K Brahmananda Reddy’s tenure and had to quit along with the cabinet in 1971 amid political turmoil as the separate Telangana movement gained momentum. MS Murthy, who took charge under PV Narasimha Rao in 1972, lasted only about 10 months before resigning during the Jai Andhra movement.The instability continued through subsequent Congress governments and those in saddle during the 1978-83 period could not complete endowments tenure as govts and cabinets kept changing. During NT Rama Rao’s first stint as CM, endowments minister E Anjaneyulu died in office in 1983, after which Veerabhadra Rao took charge. Political upheaval following NTR’s temporary removal from office resulted in a short-lived stint for Rao.Simhadi Satyanarayana was among ministers who came closest to completing a full term. He handled the minister from 1985 to 1989 under NTR. He returned to the portfolio after the 1994 elections, but his second stint lasted only about nine months as NTR lost his party following the 1995 TDP revolt.The pattern persisted through Chandrababu Naidu’s second term. Damodara Anjaneyulu handled the ministry from 1999 to 2001 until a cabinet reshuffle. He was succeeded by Dandu Sivaramaraju until 2004.During YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s first term as chief minister, M Satyanarayana Rao handled endowments from 2004 to 2005. A controversy following allegations concerning endowments lands, he was shifted out of the portfolio. Jupally Krishna Rao, who took over in 2009, presided until 2011 and resigned during the Telangana movement.C Ramachandraiah became the last endowments minister of united Andhra, serving from 2012 to 2014 under Kiran Kumar Reddy. His tenure ended with the CM resigning ahead of state bifurcation.The pattern continued in divided Andhra Pradesh. P Manikyala Rao (2014 to 2018) served under Naidu but resigned along with fellow BJP minister Kamineni Srinivas after TDP withdrew from NDA over the special category status issue. His successor, KE Krishnamurthy handled the portfolio for just over a year, until the change of govt in 2019.Vellampalli Srinivas’s tenure (2019 to 2022) under YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, was marked by criticism over a series of incidents involving temples, including damage to idols and the burning of a temple chariot, besides allegations over temple assets. He was dropped during a cabinet reshuffle.
