AICC rushes to pacify disgruntled leaders

Leaders from RR, Medak districts allege favouritism

AICC leaders sprang into action to pacify disgruntled Congress leaders as cracks widened within the party against the domination of leaders from Nalgonda and Mahbubnagar districts.

Leaders from other districts, especially Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy and Medak, have accused the state party leadership of sidelining them and are staying away from party activities.

The newly-appointed AICC secretaries in charge of the state Congress have been meeting disgruntled leaders personally and persuading them to play an active role to ensure that they don’t leave the party ahead of crucial general elections.

AICC president Rahul Gandhi had appointed three AICC secretaries for Telangana state last month, replacing incumbent Satish Jharkiholi following reports of the widening internal rifts between leaders were making the headlines.

Since then, the three new secretaries — Mr N.S. Bose and Mr Saleem Ahmed from Karnataka and Mr Sreenivasan Krishnan from Kerala — have been touring the districts to meet disgruntled leaders, pacify them and make them actively participate in party programmes.

Following Mr Gandhi’s directions, Mr Bose has begun visiting the residences of disgruntled leaders to find out what issues they face within the party and is promising to resolve them.

He met former deputy chief minister Damodar Rajanarasimha, who played a crucial role in the Cabinets of the late Dr Y.S. Rajashekar Reddy, Mr K. Rosaiah and Mr N. Kiran Kumar Reddy from 2004 to 2014 and during the Congress high command’s decision to bifurcate the state. He has become inactive after he lost the 2014 elections.

Mr Rajanarasimha has begun taking part in Congress programmes after Mr Bose’s assurance that he will be given due importance.

Former minister Mukesh Goud too is upset at party for ignoring him after he lost in 2014. There were reports that he would be moving to the TRS and city leaders of the ruling party also held consultations with him.

Sensing trouble, Mr Bose visited Mr Goud’s residence and persuaded him following which he made a statement that he will not quit Congress.

Mr Bose is expected to meet actress Vijayashanthi, who shifted to the Congress just before 2014 polls, but lost the election in Medak. She too is staying away from party activities since then. The Congress high command wants to utilise her services as star campaigner in the state for 2019.

The common complaint being made by all the disgruntled leaders to AICC secretaries is that only leaders from Nalgonda and Mahbubnagar are calling the shots in the party and they were getting a raw deal due to which they can no longer work in the party.

The TRS is on a prowl to take prominent leaders from other parties, especially the Congress to weaken it before the elections. The AICC has stepped up efforts to check the attempts to snatch disgruntled leaders.