Hyderabad: Even as Congress MP and former president of All India Congress Committee (AICC) Rahul Gandhi is busy with Kanyakumari to Kashmir “Bharat Jodo Yatra” some of his senior teammates in Hyderabad are in a “Congress todo” (break congress) yatra!
All hell broke loose after AICC announced a new political affairs committee and executive committee for the Telangana Congress. Seniors attacked TPCC president A Revanth Reddy for filling keys posts with his “migrant” supporters from Telugu Desam. Hurt, some dozen odd party leaders announced resignation to posts and it’s free for all now.
Fight between “original” senior Congress leaders and “defectors” from other parties, mostly Telugu Desam, came to fore after AICC appointed A Revanth Reddy as Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president.
V Hanumantha Rao, Jagga Reddy and others raised a banner of revolt within the party against Revanth Reddy and accused him of ignoring them in decision making process.
Though Revanth Reddy denies the charge, trouble continues to haunt Congress in Telangana, which is facing a bulldozer from both ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi turned Bharat Rashtra Samithi and Bharatiya Janata Party.
But articulate Revanth Reddy is supported by Congress High Command and some leaders back home.
Dissidence and infighting in Congress are quite normal. But continuous slide of party in Telangana and other States since NDA came to power forced Congress high Command to take steps to salvage the party including electing new AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge from non-Gandhi clan. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi took the back seat temporarily though.
However, Rahul Gandhi has undertaken Bharat Jodo yatra to revive the party and regain the lost glory. Luckily, the party got a breather when it returned to power in Himachal Pradesh. Congress is in power in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and now Himachal Pradesh.
Congress has five MLAs Bhatti Vikramarka, Seethakka, T Jagga Reddy, S Veeraiah and D Sridhar Babu in Telangana.
Seniors who raised banner of revolt assert their aim was to save the Congress in Telangana, which they nurtured over the years and being destroyed by defectors from Telugu Desam.
They accuse Revanth Reddy of filling party posts with TD defectors and weakening the party. They also accuse him of a concerted campaign against them in social media. Revanth Reddy denied the charge.
Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and other senior party leaders met at his residence to take stock of the situation. Among those who attended include former TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy, Damodar Rajanarasimha, Madhu Yakshi Goud, T Jagga Reddy, A Maheshwar Reddy and others.
Bhatti Vikramarka alleged a sustained campaign and character assassination has been launched within Congress in the State since one and half years targeting strong leaders. “The aim seems to hand over Congress to someone or destroy it,” he alleged.
Former TPCC president and MP, Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged in a recent case it was found that a social media campaign was unleashed not only against ruling TRS, but also Congress leaders like him.
“Loyal Congress leaders are being targeted by “migrants.” Out of 108 office bearers appointed 60 odd are migrants from Telugu Desam. “What’s the message being sent? We will take up the issue with Congress High Command,” he asserts.
But Revanth supporter former Balakonda MLA Anil Kumar Eravathri defends TPCC chief. “Stop false allegations and work in tandem. Revanth is being targeted by some. Request senior to work in tandem and bring back Congress to power. Don’t fall prey to traitors.”
Amid chaos in party, TPCC president, A Revanth Reddy announced “Haath se haath jodo” yatra from January 26 in the State as per AICC call to express solidarity with Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo yatra.
Reddy announced that he would expose the short comings of ruling TRS turned BRS and BJP.
But Sunday’s TPCC meeting was boycotted by dissident senior party leaders. However, Revanth Reddy asserted differences in the party would be sorted out by High Command.
He also referred to resignation of dozen party leaders hurt by accusations including MLA Seethakka, ex-MLA Vem Narender Reddy. Congress leaders who raised banner of revolt have boycotted the meeting, which also saw some heated exchanges among leaders.
Senior party leaders K Jana Reddy, Mohd Ali Shabbir, Ponnam Prabhakar, Nagam Janardhan Reddy, Anjan Kumar Yadav, Balram Naik, Mahesh Goud and others attended. Some leaders took objections to seniors attacking the TPCC chief.
As things stand, Revanth Reddy has decided to go ahead with his padayatra and party programmes whether dissidents will join him or not.
If going by Rahul Gandhi’s logic, the party has more “internal democracy” than others.
Rahul Gandhi when asked about Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s recent defiance to the party’s plan to make him national chief recently said, “In our structure there is clarity. We are not a dictatorship. We like discussion. We have support among the common people. We fight elections with the support of our party workers at the grassroots. That’s our way.”
In 2018 elections, Congress got 19 seats and 28.43 per cent votes in the State while ruling TRS got 88 seats and 46.87 per cent votes. Bharatiya Janata Party was way third with just 1 seat and 7.01 per cent votes among others.
Will Congress regain its lost glory in Telangana, only time will tell.
