Hyderabad: The ugly internal politics of the ruling Congress party in Telangana was out in the open in Siddipet district on the Independence Day celebrated on Friday, August 15. Congress’ SC cell workers burnt the effigy of District Congress Committee (DCC) president T Narsa Reddy and held a protest rally demanding his arrest for allegedly hurling casteist verbal abuses toward SC Cell district president Vijay Kumar.
The protesters obstructed Narsa Reddy’s car and prevented him from attending the flag-hoisting ceremony, calling him a ‘traitor of Dalits’. Reddy left the scene soon after. According to local sources, there have been ‘group politics’ going on between former MLA Narsa Reddy and Kantha Rao, both Congress leaders, for the past few months.
Vijay Kumar, who belongs to Kantha Rao’s group, has been reportedly working against Narsa Reddy. On August 3, when Congress district in-charge minister G Vivek Venkatswamy was in Gajwel to attend an official programme to distribute new ration cards, Vijay Kumar tried to complain against Narsa Reddy to Vivek, which was resisted by Reddy. When Narsa Reddy was being pushed, he tried to resist the attempt.
Congress workers belonging to Kantha Rao’s group lodged a complaint against Narsa Reddy with the police, alleging that he used abusive language against Vijay Kumar. However, no action was initiated against Reddy. Friday’s protest by Kantha Rao’s group was a continuation of his followers to allegedly defame and implicate Narsa Reddy.
Narsa Reddy’s history in Telangana Congress
It may be recalled that Narsa Reddy, who contested 2014 assembly election from Gajwel constituency against the then Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) in 2014, lost that election. Vanteru Pratap Reddy, who was in Telugu Desam Party (TDP) at the time, was the runner-up, gaining 34.5 vote percentage, falling just 10 percent behind KCR.
After that assembly election, Narsa Reddy joined TRS and was made chairman of Telangana State Road Development Corporation (TSRDC). In the political developments that followed, Pratap Reddy joined Congress just before the 2018 assembly election from Gajwel. Around the same time, Narsa Reddy made a ghar wapsi to Congress.
After losing the election to KCR, Pratap Reddy joined TRS, and was made chairman of Telangana State Forest Development Corporation (now TGFDC).
In the triangular contest between KCR, BJP candidate Eatala Rajender and Congress candidate Narsa Reddy in the 2023 assembly election in Gajwel constituency, Narsa Reddy came third.
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