More energy is being spent on infighting in the Congress, this time in Telangana. Last week, Telangana Congress Committee working president and Sangareddy MLA T. Jayaprakash Reddy decided to ‘snap’ ties with the party, as there was a “conspiracy to malign him” by labeling him a covert supporter of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) on social media. Mr. Jayaprakash Reddy’s decision is not sudden, especially given his differences with Telangana Congress president A. Revanth Reddy ever since the latter was chosen over him to lead the party in Telangana.
Mr. Jayaprakash Reddy is a maverick and an unstoppable party hopper. He started his career with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He shifted to the TRS during the separate State agitation in 2004 and won as MLA. Then he joined the Congress and was made government whip. In 2014, he shifted to the BJP again to contest from the Medak parliamentary seat. When he lost, he returned to the Congress. This time, he has given himself a 15-day deadline to leave the party and chart out an independent political course.
The TRS also created an embarrassing situation for Mr. Jayaprakash Reddy. During his visit to Sangareddy for an official programme, TRS working president and the IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao hobnobbed with Mr. Jayaprakash Reddy giving credence to the rumours.
Resentment over appointment
A likely meeting between Mr. Jayaprakash Reddy and Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi may put an end to this drama in the Congress, which has been on slow revival mode after it was decimated in the 2018 Assembly polls and after 12 of its 18 MLAs defected to the ruling party. But that may not signal the end of the crisis in the party, which remains deeply divided.
The Congress has been grappling with a lot of resentment against its choice of president. Bhongir MP Komatireddy Venkata Reddy, bristling at Mr. Revanth Reddy’s appointment as president, vowed never to enter Gandhi Bhavan, the party headquarters in Hyderabad. Since then, he has patched up with Mr. Revanth Reddy and both of them frequently share the party platform. Earlier, his brother Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy, MLA from Munugode, also raised the banner of revolt and went to the extent of stating that the BJP is the only alternative in Telangana. Opposition to Mr. Revanth Reddy’s elevation also came from senior leaders like V. Hanumantha Rao. All these leaders were upset that Mr. Revanth Reddy, a new entrant from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), was elected president, while they spent years working for the Congress and did not bag any plum post.
The infighting is overshadowing the party’s efforts to project itself as the real alternative to the TRS. The cadre’s morale was up when three meetings at Indervelly, Ibrahimpatnam, and Gajwel (Chief Minister, K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s constituency) turned out to be successful after Mr. Revanth Reddy took over. The new president has also been constantly attacking the government on various issues. He has accused the BJP of “killing the federal spirit”, “spreading religious intolerance”, etc. His adversaries, however, term these as sensational and controversial statements. They accuse him of lacking a strategy and direction. After losing the 2014 and 2018 polls, the Congress cannot afford to miss the bus in the 2023 elections if it has to stay relevant in Telangana. The BJP with its recent political successes in Telangana and resources is clearly leaving no stone unturned to expand in the State. In such a scenario, the Congress can hope to stay in the race only by ensuring unity among its leaders.
ravikanth.ramasayam@thehindu.co.in
