REPORTERS’ DIARY :  What it means to be a Congressman

Congress karyakartas are normally proud to be part of the grand old party. Although Revanth Reddy became the Chief Minister much against the wishes of some leaders in TPCC, the ‘original Congress leaders’ are proud of how the party handles crisis. For instance, when Jeevan Reddy sounded mutinous, senior leaders, including Deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka and Minister Sridhar Babu, queued up at his house to convince him. It did not matter to them that Jeevan Reddy had lost both Assembly and Lok Sabha elections recently. If it were any other party, they would have shown him the door. Further, Congress leaders draped the party flag on the mortal remains of D Srinivas who passed away on Saturday, with Bhatti and Sridhar Babu noticeably among those who paid their last respects. D Srinivas visiting Congress office had become a point of contention when he was briefly in BRS. His son is BJP MP. “When they say ‘I want to do die as Congressman’, this is what they mean”, remarked a Congress leader