Hyderabad, February 03: Several senior Congress leaders, including former chief minister K Rosaiah, former ministers JC Diwakar Reddy and G Venkat Reddy, MP S Satyanarayana and MLCs KR Amos and P Sudhakar Reddy, today came down heavily on CWC member and senior leader G Venkataswamy for his outburst against party chief and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
They strongly condemned his remarks.
APCC president D Srinivas has sent a detailed note to the All India Congress Committee explaining the developments following Kaka’s outburst. Venkataswamy’s comments (translated into English) along with the clippings of print and electronic media reports and the reactions of party leaders and cadre were also sent for necessary action. However, it is learnt that no specific action has been recommended against Kaka. The PCC chief is reportedly of the view that any action against Kaka should be taken only by the Congress high command. He, however, asked the leadership to take immediate action against Kaka to pacify the infuriated Congress cadre.
Talking to newsmen at the CLP office here, Rosaiah strongly condemned Kaka’s criticism of Sonia and termed it as baseless. Even opposition leaders never targeted Sonia Gandhi directly, he said. Kaka had failed to be loyal to the leadership even after enjoying various important posts both in the government and the party. No Congress worker could digest such remarks against the party leader. The issues raised by Venkataswamy were insignificant and condemnable. “He (Kaka) can float another party if he wants to go against the leadership. If it was a slip of the tongue, then he should correct himself,” Rosaiah remarked.
“Venkataswamy has lost his mental balance. He is resorting to blackmailing tactics by using the Dalit card,” said JC Diwakar Reddy. “The Congress- PRP alliance is not a new proposal.
It was mooted by the late chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy immediately after the 2009 elections. The process has come to a final stage now,” he noted. Rural development minister D Manikya Vara Prasad said Kaka’s intention behind the criticism would come out in a couple of days. “He makes such comments for personal gain. We (Dalits) feel ashamed of his remarks against Sonia Gandhi,” he said.
Malkajgiri MP Sarvey Satyanarayana lashed out at Kaka saying that the latter had failed to do anything for the Dalit community, but his entire family members got benefited a lot. Sonia Gandhi never said that she was not going to give T state. Forging an alliance with Chiranjeevi’s PRP was an ‘indication’ that the party was in favour of T state, he said.
“Chiranjeevi’s support to the Congress will finish both Jaganmohan Reddy and N Chandrababu Naidu in the Seemandhra region,” he said.
–Agencies