Hyderabad: After the sacking of Eatala Rajender as Health Minister, it is widely being said that the state’s health portfolio never proved lucky for those who head it since the formation of Telangana state.
While the health of the ministers heading ministries other than Health remained good – personally and politially – all those who headed the Health portfolio lost their political health. They embroiled in various controversies.
It was ironic that when Eatala Rajender was stripped off his portfolio he was sick suffering from coronavirus. So it was said that how can a minister shall take care of the state’s health when he himself is not healthy.
It was either a coincidence or an streak of ill-luck that all those who were assigned the Health Ministry had to lose their portfolio in a short span of time.
The Health portfolio was first assigned to the Dy. Chief Minister Dr. Rajaiah. But within 10 months, he was not only sacked from his job but his political career too eclipsed. Dr. Rajaiah belonged to Dalit community. Though ostensibly it was said that Dr. Rajaiah was involved in irregularities, but no one knew the real reasons behind his sudden sacking.
Next, Dr. Lakshma Reddy was made incharge of the Health Ministry. But the portfolio proved unlucky for him. While many other ministers who were incharge of other ministries were re-inducted in the second term of the government, Dr. Reddy was not included in the ministry.
Dr. Eatala Rajender was made Health Minister in the government’s second term, but he was sacked before the completion of his term. Rajender not only lost his portfolio but lost his position in the state cabinet as well owing to his difference with the Chief Minister.
The TRS leaders admit that Eatala Rajender is one of the pioneers of the Telangana Movement and his political career is unblemished.
The myth of ill-omen concerning the health ministry is being widely circulated in political circles in the state. “The Health portfolio shall be assigned to anyone whose political career is to be destroyed,” the myth says.