The differences between Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and PCC chief Botcha Satyanarayana have deepened with both groups resorting to open criticisms and even sending reports to the Congress High Command blaming the other for the electoral debacle.
Kiran Kumar Reddy was pushed to a corner and was on backfoot by the attack of the Health Minister D L Ravindra Reddy and Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha. The two had openly attacked the CM, blaming him to be responsible for Congress party’s debacle in the just concluded by-elections. With this, Kiran Kumar Reddy group also started counter attack on Saturday. Information and Public Relations Minister D K Aruna, Rajya Sabha member-elect K. Chiranjeevi, senior MP Sarve Satyanarayana and others held press conferences and criticized the seniors for criticizing the CM, without doing anything for securing the victory of the party. Kiran, Botcha and Damodar were all engaged in holding discussions and lodging complaints on the poll debacle.
Kiran was suffocated and embarrassed when D L Ravidra Reddy, Damodar Rajanarasimha and K Keshav Rao openly blamed him for the poll debacle. However, recovering from the initial shock, the Kiran group started counter attacks. Phooh Phoohing DL’s announcement of resignation, minister Sailajanath has sarcastically questioned why he had not resigned ‘owning moral’ responsibility’ when he faced a humiliating defeat in Kadapa Lok Sabha by-election.
Following him in the counter attack were other CM loyalists like the chief whip Gandra Venkata Ramana Reddy, whip Thoorpu Jaya Prakasha Reddy and MLCs Rudraraju Padmaraju and Ranga Reddy. The CM group is trying to show that the Congress party had in fact improved its poll percentage. They are criticizing the seniors of trying to weaken the party at a time when they should be concentrating on strengthening it.
The ongoing Assembly session would end on March 29. It is being said that leaders of both the pro-CM and anti-CM groups would rush to New Delhi after the session and work on their cross purposes. Telangana Congress leaders are trying to frighten the Congress leadership by stating that BJP winning the Mahbubnagar seat on the Telangana slogan was a dangerous turn. CM’s opponents are openly criticizing him for denying party ticket to Vijayalakshmi, wife of late Rajeshwara Reddy, Independent MLA, whose death caused the by-election to the Mahbubnagar seat. Even the Chief Minister has indirectly admitted mistakes in the selection of candidates. (NSS)