Revanth vs TS Cong: MP runs his own ship, old timers upset

Hyderabad: The Congress’s state unit seems to have gotten more divided with regard to its leadership and functioning, thanks to Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) working president and Malkjgiri MP A. Revanth Reddy running his own campaigns, leaving many seniors miffed.

Currently, the Congress is focussed on the upcoming MLC elections (two seats), and all of its cadres are on the ground helping its candidates. However, Revanth over the last fortnight ran his own 10-day Padayatra (walkathon) against the Centre’s new farm laws, which ended with a public meeting a day earlier.

Clearly, there seems to be a mismatch in terms of how the TPCC working president is working, or rather, not working in alignment with the party. “It is very obvious that he is on his own. When AICC state in-charge Manickam Tagore was conducting meetings in Khammam, Revanth began his programme,” said a senior Congress leader, who did not want to be quoted.

He added that Revanth had initially said his programme was only a protest, and alleged that the MP had planned on doing his 10-day programme from the start (which ended in a public meeting on 16 February). “For him to do that, it was totally wrong. Revanth clearly wants to be the TPCC chief,” the Congress leader told siasat.com. 

After the Congress’s debacle in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections, wherein it won just two out of 150 seats, TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy had resigned. Revanth’s name had then emerged as a potential candidate to replace him.

However, his candidature was opposed by senior leaders from the party, who wanted a loyalist to be appointed as TPCC chief. Revanth had joined the Congress a few years ago after leaving the Telugu Desam Party (TDP). He won the Malkajgiri Lok Sabha seat in th 2019 general elections, and was made TPCC working president prior to that.

“Revanth has not been warned by the Congress high command, which has not spoken against what he is doing. So he could be carryng out his programmes with their blessings. His Padayatra was done in his own district of Mahbubnagar. Problem will arise when he crosses it,” said political analyst Palwai Raghavendra Reddy.

Reddy added that there are others in the Congress also are planning to do similar programmes like Revanth. The appointment of a new TPCC chief has also been put on hold, as senior leader and former cabinet minister K. Jana Reddy had asked the high command to put the process on hold until the Nagarjunasagar by-election, which is likely to be held soon.