Hyderabad: The proposed disciplinary action against Telangana minister Konda Surekha and four-time legislator Chinna Reddy for alleged anti-party activities has escalated into an open rift between “original” Congressmen and those who joined the party just before the 2023 Assembly elections.
On the one side is an informal group of elected representatives who were with the Congress before the state’s bifurcation in 2014 and are now referring to themselves as “Congress loyalists”, “Accha Congress” or “Pacha Congress”.
On the other side is the “Yellow Congress League”, a term being used to refer to legislators who joined the Congress from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).
The most vocal among the ‘old guard’ are Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy, Anirudh Reddy, and Chinna Reddy who have been airing their grievances in public fora. They have now been joined by others, including District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents, who have, privately in their constituencies, begun expressing their dissatisfaction with various organisational and development-related issues, it is learnt.
ThePrint spoke to at least six elected Congress representatives and multiple DCCs who have attested to a constant tussle between the ‘old guard force’ and the ‘yellow league’, even at the grassroots level, frothing over and coming to the fore.
While the genesis of the rift dates back to the 2023 elections when a number of former TDP and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders joined the Congress at Revanth Reddy’s persuasion, the flare-up has now assumed larger proportions, said party leaders.
“There is as much deep-rooted, ideological friction as there are differences in organisational functioning and manner of conduct. Today, the leaders from other parties are insured from disciplinary action and assured of Revanth’s indulgence than us who have been with the party during its leanest phase,” said Chinna Reddy, the septuagenarian who has been with the Congress since Indira Gandhi’s time.
Other party leaders said they were told that the deficiency in trust would be papered over once the Congress assumed power in December 2023, but repeated instances of alleged interference by newly-elected MLAs in turves once ruled by the ‘old guard’ have made the latter feel sidelined.
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‘Let Rahul Gandhi see for himself’
In Chinna Reddy’s case, while he was assured of a ticket to contest from Wanaparthy reportedly by Sonia Gandhi, a last-minute survey led the Congress to field Tudi Megha Reddy, a former mandal parishad leader from the BRS. Chinna Reddy alleged that his bete noire was given a ticket only because of Megha Reddy’s ability to “invest in the election”.
“The survey result was cited only to give Megha Reddy the ticket. It was a make-believe survey. Megha Reddy was a contractor under the previous BRS regime who was awarded contracts because of a sitting minister. To top it, he was unable to shift any cadre from the BRS. He came alone bringing only a handful of troublemakers, who are now not allowing Congress cadres to work,” Chinna Reddy told ThePrint.
That Chinna Reddy, who also served as a minister during Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy’s term as chief minister, has aired his grievances in public, has led many other Congress MLAs to make their displeasure known as well.
Anirudh Reddy, the MLA from Jadcherla, alleged the lack of an internal dialogue, Revanth Reddy ignoring repeated pleas by lower-rung leaders, and brushing aside requests for release of funds pertaining to his constituency. “Why are former TDP and BRS MLAs’ bills being cleared when ours aren’t? When we make a representation, we are told that there is a paucity of funds, and we are not allowed to meet the chief minister if we state that our agenda is to discuss constituency-related issues,” Anirudh Reddy told ThePrint.
He has threatened to go on a hunger strike by the end of the month if contractors from Jadcherla are not paid. “Let Rahul Gandhi really see for himself about the goings-on in Telangana. How many more contractors have to die before their bills are paid,” he asked.
Anirudh Reddy said that the issues not being resolved despite him airing them during the political affairs committee (PAC) meetings angered him further.
Other Congress MLAs who spoke to ThePrint but requested anonymity—for fear of being labelled as “anti-Congress”, and over apprehension of disciplinary action being initiated against them—expressed displeasure with pendency of posts promised to them, displacement of local loyalists’ networks, and Revanth’s centralised manner of functioning.
Congress workers Sathyakumar Yadav and Krishna Reddy from Gopalpet said mandal-level workers under them complained of not being allowed into the local Congress office since it is occupied by Tudi Megha Reddy’s supporters.
“Everything we have said cannot be brushed aside as political bickering. Damodar Raja Narasimha, our in charge minister has not visited our constituency even once after the elections in 2023. We’ve asked for coordination committees to be formed to help us work better with the MLAs from other parties, but even that has not been formed,” said an MLA from one of the constituencies in old Warangal district.
That the ‘old guard’ was not consulted on the appointment of district-level officers to various committees is another issue that has disturbed the rank and file of the Telangana Congress.
Rajagopal Reddy, a long-time ministerial berth aspirant, has shown no signs of backing down and continues to up the ante, threatening to “expose the partiality meted to the new Congress MLAs”.
“Even the chief minister’s cabinet colleagues have trouble dealing with him. It is just that they cannot hold a press conference and speak out as we do,” said Rajagopal Reddy, the MLA from Munogode. On Wednesday, Rajagopal accompanied former MLC Konda Murali to meet Deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka at his residence, to seek his help in mediating the issue relating to Konda Surekha’s ouster from the party. Congress sources also alleged that two MLAs who joined the press conference organised to defend CM Revanth Reddy and demand Konda Surekha’s ouster did so after being promised funds for their constituencies.
What is Congress doing to resolve rift
Congress MP Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy agrees there is a problem.
Revanth Reddy and the senior leaders in the cabinet should spend more time with MLAs and address their grievances, he told ThePrint, adding, “I have suggested that we take the MLAs into confidence and run the show. The CM also needs to sit with his cabinet colleagues and sort out the issues amongst them.”
Pavan Nerella, another senior Congress functionary, said that the AICC has taken a serious view of the goings-on in Telangana. The party leadership in New Delhi has taken a decision to accommodate Congress loyalists into the cabinet even as they are taking a serious stance on Konda Surekha’s daughter overstepping.
“We have also decided to adopt the Karnataka formula of giving 75 percent of the nominated posts to old Congressmen, and the remaining to the new ones who have joined,” said Nerella.
He too, like Chamala Kiran Reddy, agreed that the party was facing a “communications issue” in the state, and remedial measures were needed to ensure the Congress unit worked as a team.
Sources in the party told ThePrint that a coordination committee under the aegis of AICC in charge Meenakshi Natarajan would decide post allocations henceforth,rather than the exercise being an arbitrary one favouring particular castes or sections.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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