Hyderabad: The proposed disciplinary motion in opposition to Telangana minister Konda Surekha and four-time legislator Chinna Reddy for alleged anti-party actions has escalated into an open rift between “unique” Congressmen and people who joined the occasion simply earlier than the 2023 Meeting elections.
On the one aspect is a casual group of elected representatives who have been with the Congress earlier than the state’s bifurcation in 2014 and at the moment are referring to themselves as “Congress loyalists”, “Accha Congress” or “Pacha Congress”.
On the opposite aspect is the “Yellow Congress League”, a time period getting used to discuss with legislators who joined the Congress from the Telugu Desam Get together (TDP).
Probably the most vocal among the many ‘previous guard’ are Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy, Anirudh Reddy, and Chinna Reddy who’ve been airing their grievances in public fora. They’ve now been joined by others, together with District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents, who’ve, privately of their constituencies, begun expressing their dissatisfaction with numerous organisational and development-related points, it’s learnt.
ThePrint spoke to at the very least six elected Congress representatives and a number of DCCs who’ve attested to a relentless tussle between the ‘previous guard pressure’ and the ‘yellow league’, even on the grassroots degree, frothing over and coming to the fore.
Whereas the genesis of the rift dates again to the 2023 elections when quite a lot of former TDP and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders joined the Congress at Revanth Reddy’s persuasion, the flare-up has now assumed bigger proportions, stated occasion leaders.
“There’s as a lot deep-rooted, ideological friction as there are variations in organisational functioning and method of conduct. Immediately, the leaders from different events are insured from disciplinary motion and guaranteed of Revanth’s indulgence than us who’ve been with the occasion throughout its leanest part,” stated Chinna Reddy, the septuagenarian who has been with the Congress since Indira Gandhi’s time.
Different occasion leaders stated they have been informed that the deficiency in belief could be papered over as soon as the Congress assumed energy in December 2023, however repeated cases of alleged interference by newly-elected MLAs in turves as soon as dominated by the ‘previous guard’ have made the latter really feel sidelined.
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‘Let Rahul Gandhi see for himself’
In Chinna Reddy’s case, whereas he was assured of a ticket to contest from Wanaparthy reportedly by Sonia Gandhi, a last-minute survey led the Congress to subject Tudi Megha Reddy, a former mandal parishad chief from the BRS. Chinna Reddy alleged that his bete noire was given a ticket solely due to Megha Reddy’s capability to “spend money on the election”.
“The survey consequence was cited solely to present Megha Reddy the ticket. It was a make-believe survey. Megha Reddy was a contractor underneath the earlier BRS regime who was awarded contracts due to a sitting minister. To prime it, he was unable to shift any cadre from the BRS. He got here alone bringing solely a handful of troublemakers, who at the moment are not permitting Congress cadres to work,” Chinna Reddy informed ThePrint.
That Chinna Reddy, who additionally served as a minister throughout Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy’s time period as chief minister, has aired his grievances in public, has led many different Congress MLAs to make their displeasure often called properly.
Anirudh Reddy, the MLA from Jadcherla, alleged the shortage of an inner dialogue, Revanth Reddy ignoring repeated pleas by lower-rung leaders, and brushing apart requests for launch of funds pertaining to his constituency. “Why are former TDP and BRS MLAs’ payments being cleared when ours aren’t? Once we make a illustration, we’re informed that there’s a paucity of funds, and we’re not allowed to fulfill the chief minister if we state that our agenda is to debate constituency-related points,” Anirudh Reddy informed ThePrint.
He has threatened to go on a starvation strike by the tip of the month if contractors from Jadcherla are usually not paid. “Let Rahul Gandhi actually see for himself in regards to the goings-on in Telangana. What number of extra contractors must die earlier than their payments are paid,” he requested.
Anirudh Reddy stated that the problems not being resolved regardless of him airing them through the political affairs committee (PAC) conferences angered him additional.
Different Congress MLAs who spoke to ThePrint however requested anonymity—for worry of being labelled as “anti-Congress”, and over apprehension of disciplinary motion being initiated in opposition to them—expressed displeasure with pendency of posts promised to them, displacement of native loyalists’ networks, and Revanth’s centralised method of functioning.
Congress staff Sathyakumar Yadav and Krishna Reddy from Gopalpet stated mandal-level staff underneath them complained of not being allowed into the native Congress workplace since it’s occupied by Tudi Megha Reddy’s supporters.
“Every thing we have now stated can’t be brushed apart as political bickering. Damodar Raja Narasimha, our in cost minister has not visited our constituency even as soon as after the elections in 2023. We’ve requested for coordination committees to be fashioned to assist us work higher with the MLAs from different events, however even that has not been fashioned,” stated an MLA from one of many constituencies in previous Warangal district.
That the ‘previous guard’ was not consulted on the appointment of district-level officers to numerous committees is one other subject that has disturbed the rank and file of the Telangana Congress.
Rajagopal Reddy, a long-time ministerial berth aspirant, has proven no indicators of backing down and continues to up the ante, threatening to “expose the fondness meted to the brand new Congress MLAs”.
“Even the chief minister’s cupboard colleagues have hassle coping with him. It’s simply that they can not maintain a press convention and converse out as we do,” stated Rajagopal Reddy, the MLA from Munogode. On Wednesday, Rajagopal accompanied former MLC Konda Murali to fulfill Deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka at his residence, to hunt his assist in mediating the problem referring to Konda Surekha’s ouster from the occasion. Congress sources additionally alleged that two MLAs who joined the press convention organised to defend CM Revanth Reddy and demand Konda Surekha’s ouster did so after being promised funds for his or her constituencies.
What’s Congress doing to resolve rift
Congress MP Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy agrees there’s a downside.
Revanth Reddy and the senior leaders within the cupboard ought to spend extra time with MLAs and tackle their grievances, he informed ThePrint, including, “I’ve steered that we take the MLAs into confidence and run the present. The CM additionally wants to take a seat together with his cupboard colleagues and kind out the problems amongst them.”
Pavan Nerella, one other senior Congress functionary, stated that the AICC has taken a critical view of the goings-on in Telangana. The occasion management in New Delhi has taken a call to accommodate Congress loyalists into the cupboard at the same time as they’re taking a critical stance on Konda Surekha’s daughter overstepping.
“Now we have additionally determined to undertake the Karnataka components of giving 75 p.c of the nominated posts to previous Congressmen, and the remaining to the brand new ones who’ve joined,” stated Nerella.
He too, like Chamala Kiran Reddy, agreed that the occasion was dealing with a “communications subject” within the state, and remedial measures have been wanted to make sure the Congress unit labored as a group.
Sources within the occasion informed ThePrint {that a} coordination committee underneath the aegis of AICC in cost Meenakshi Natarajan would resolve put up allocations henceforth,slightly than the train being an arbitrary one favouring specific castes or sections.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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