(Special Correspondent)
The growing discontent among the senior leaders of Congress has become a major challenge to the party command. The party has already got wiped out from neighboring Andhra Pradesh and could not open an account in the last two state polls – 2014 and 2019- after the bifurcation of the state.
Against this backdrop, a revolt by several senior leaders, including former PCC Chief and MP, Capt Uttam Kumar Reddy and the party’s floor leader in the state assembly Bhatti Vikramarka, against “migrants” from other parties (read Revanth Reddy) does not appear to many augur well, unless the party high command steps in.
The other seniors who have raised a banner of revolt against the leadership of the present TPCC Chief A Revanth Reddy are — former deputy CM Damodar Rajanarasimha, MLA and working state party unit president Jagga Reddy former MPs V Hanumantha Rao and Madhu Yashki Goud, besides former home minister, K Jana Reddy. This is an age old problem of the Congress. It is a party of “big” leaders. The question really is — how many of them can win an election on their own steam? Even someone like Jana Reddy lost the elections the last time around.
Their gripe is against A Revanth Reddy, a defector from the TDP and also an accused in the ‘cash for vote’ scam that rocked the state during the MLC polls. To make matters worse, Revanth Reddy formed various committees under the garb of strengthening the party to prepare to fight the upcoming assembly polls next year. His leadership is seen as a mixed bag — there are those who feel he is brash and takes unilateral decisions. Others say, in his defence, that he is a galvanising force who picks team leaders based on their ability to win elections.
Be that as it may, if the party’s high command chooses to turn the other way, many political analysts feel that the Congress-mukth Bharat may become a reality in yet another state —Telangana. Meanwhile, 13 Congress leaders quit their posts protesting against the PCC chief to bring pressure on party high command.
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