K Venkateshwarlu
Hyderabad
Post bifurcation, the Congress unit in Telangana, despite having facilitated the grant of statehood by the Centre, has been irreversibly on the decline.The situation in fact took a turn for the worse in 2022, with internal bickering and trading of allegations among its leaders reaching a flashpoint. Towards the end of the year, the party witnessed a vertical split into two distinct groups: comprising ‘Original’ and ‘Migrant’ Congress leaders.
Seniors leaders who had branded themselves as ‘Original’ Congress leaders revolted against TPCC president A Revanth Reddy and dubbed his associates as ‘Migrant’ leaders. Allegations flew thick and fast on social media platforms. Some of the senior leaders were branded as “working as coverts to other parties”.Targeted senior leaders blamed Revanth Reddy and alleged that it was the handiwork of his followers.
They maintained that Revanth was not preventing them from derogatory posts against senior leaders. Senior leaders in the party, including Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy, Marri Shashidhar Reddy and Dasoju Sravan, left the party, after making serious allegations against Revanth Reddy.
The Telangana Congress organized a meeting at Warangal styled ‘Rythu Sangharshana Sabha’ on May 6 with a slogan ‘Save Telangana’ in which AICC leader Rahul Gandhi participated.Through the ‘Warangal Declaration’, intended mainly for farmers, he galvanized the party to some extent. TPCC president A Revanth Reddy has since declared that the Congress, if voted to power in the next Assembly elections, would render Dharani portal of land records null and void and introduce a new revenue system.
Revanth listed solutions to address issues concerning farmers in Telangana. The Declaration speaks of linking the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme with agriculture — a long-standing demand of farmers’ organisations and political parties, including TRS. It repeats the Congress’ 2018 election manifesto, which had promised a waiver of crop loans to the tune of Rs 2 lakh per acre.
Rahul Gandhi stated that ‘the first milestone’ for T Congress leaders would be highlighting the Warangal Declaration. He wanted the people of Telangana to thoroughly understand the Declaration, which was akin to a ‘partnership between the Congress and the farmers of Telangana’. However, the party unit did not wage any movement to mount pressure on the State government. Party leaders, including Revanth, confined themselves to issuing statements.
Amidst all this, leaders like TPCC working president A Jagga Reddy continued their non-stop allegations against Revanth Reddy. At one point of time, Jagga Reddy had expressed his resolve to quit the party and launch his own outfit. Jagga Reddy did not go beyond making statements to that effect. Bhongir MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy too continued his criticism against the TPCC president. Senior leader V Hanumantha Rao has been finding fault with the party leadership for not conducting review meetings.
Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy’s resignation from the party and as MLA hit the party severely. The party leadership expressed its happiness over the loss of Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy in the Munugode by-poll and there was no remorse over its candidate Palvayi Sravanthi Reddy losing in the same election. The Munugode by-poll intensified internal bickering. Revanth Reddy’s criticism against the Komatireddy brothers disturbed the party further.
The TS Police conducted a raid on Congress poll strategist Sunil Kanugolu’s office alleging that his team has been uploading defamatory posts against Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and BRS party. In fact, former TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy joined the anti-Revanth Reddy camp knowing that Sunil Kanugolu’s team had prepared videos also against him and CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and a few others. Â
Internal bickering peaked in December 2022, following the naming of new committees for the TPCC. Revolt started with former Minister Konda Surekha resigning from her post as TPCC executive committee. Over the next few days matters came to a head and ended in splitting the party as ‘Original’ and ‘Migrant’ Congress leaders.
The Original leaders alleged that the party had given more positions to Migrant leaders, particularly to those who had switched from TDP. Seniors leaders have been alleging that Revanth Reddy is trying to defame them using Sunil Kanugolu’s team.
Revanth Reddy has announced his statewide padayatra, billed as ‘Yatra’ for change. It is scheduled between January 26 and June 2nd.Taken aback, the party high command sent AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh as an observer to the state. He has been collecting the opinions of party leaders. TPCC former general secretary Bakka Judson, who did not get any position in the new committees, handed over his bio-data to Digvijay Singh at the steps of the Gandhi Bhavan seeking TPCC president post.
The best part of the Congress unit in Telangana is that, despite extreme groupism, Telangana Congress leaders made Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ a big success in Telangana State.
