The Congress high command, which is already facing a difficult situation on the Telangana state formation issue quite for some time, is reported to be totally disappointed with the developments taking place in the State of late, like the alleged involvement of some of the Ministers in irregularities during late YS Rajasekhar Reddy’s regime; the CBI including the names of some ministers in the charge-sheets being filed in the Jagan assets case; and above all, the senior party leaders openly criticizing each other and the clear rift between pro-and anti-Kiran Kumar Reddy groups.
The Telangana issue has become a head-ache for the party high command and the Central Government since the last nearly three years, particularly since the December 9, 2010 announcement by the Centre that the process of separate Telangana state formation would be initiated. The Congress leaders are divided on the issue on regional basis: the Seemandhra leaders opposing bifurcation of the State and the Telangana leaders demanding separate State. The recent statement of the main opposition TDP that it is ready to send a letter afresh to the Centre reiterating that it was in favour of separation of the State, has become a matter of concern for the Congress. If the TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu does it, as expected, within the next few days, the Congress leadership is sure to face a very difficult situation, as it would be compelled to take a decision on the contentious issue and announce it. All along, the Congress leadership is saying that there was no consensus among the main political parties on the issue and hence it could not take any decision. The party high command is unable to take any clear stand on the issue, as the MPs and MLAs were vertically divided on the issue on regional lines and both the sides are adopting a rigid stand. There is a strong feeling among a section of the Congress leaders that the TDP chief had decided to send a fresh letter only with a view to corner the Congress high command on the issue, knowing well that it is going to be a Herculean task for it to decide either side.
As though to add to the worries of the Congress leadership, now the party MPs of the two regions are holding separate meetings and mounting pressure on the Centre to decide on the issue.
Another matter of worry now for the party high command is the alleged involvement of some of the Ministers of Kiran Kumar Reddy Cabinet in Jagan Assets case and FERA violations, etc. Minister Mopidevi Venkata Ramana is already behind bars now in Jagan Assets case, while another Minister Dharmana Prasada Rao’s name was included in the charge-sheet filed by the CBI as an accused in the Vanpick case. Another Minister K. Parthasarathy is facing a FERA violation case and was sentenced for two months imprisonment. Some of the senior leaders like Dr P Shanker Rao were openly accusing the Chief Minister of shielding the corrupt and demanding his resignation. In such a situation, the Congress high command cannot afford to keep mum, as such silence would damage the interests of the ruling party in the State.
The Chief Minister is embroiled in yet another controversy by pointing a finger at the Union Minister S Jaipal Reddy on the issue of gas allocation to the State. This resulted in the Congress senior leaders getting divided, with some of them supporting Jaipal Reddy and others supporting the Chief Minister. Some of the Congress leaders were of the view that the Chief Minister was ill-advised to rake up this issue at a time when the party high command is already faced with many problems.
The reported differences between the Chief Minister and the PCC Chief Botcha Satyanarayana on many issues, though they were declaring for public consumption that there was no rift between them, is also causing much worry to the party high command. All said and done, the party leaders at Delhi are perturbed over the chances of the party facing the general elections which are due after 18 months. The leaders feel that unless the State leaders buried the hatchet and work united it would be difficult for the party to win the elections, particularly because the TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu is grabbing every opportunity to tarnish the image of the Congress in the State, with an eye on the impending elections. It is a do-or-die situation for the TDP, which has lost the elections in 2004 and 2009; and there is a feeling among some Congress seniors that the party leaders are offering issues to the TDP on a platter; and this is a most unfortunate situation for the Congress. (NSS)