Money-minded leaders left, says Digvijay Singh

Hyderabad: Hitting out at TRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao for luring party MP and Legislators, AICC general secretary in-charge of Telangana, Digvijay Singh said the party let go of those who wanted to turn politics into a ‘dhanda’ (business).

“These are the people who were in Congress, earned money and had their fill. Since Congress is not in power and they have no scope to make money, they left the party. Politics is based on ideology and commitment but not business. Those who want to turn politics into ‘dhanda’, let them go,” Mr Singh said.

He also called for a new, more stringent anti-defection law and specific time-frame fixed for Speakers in disposing of cases. “We will move court and also lodge complaints with the Election Commission on the present defections in Telangana,” Mr Singh said.

He said that the Congress will also move court over the TS government’s land acquisition policy and seek better compensation for displaced persons who lost or stand to lose land under various irrigation and other projects.

He said that there was no TD, BJP, YSRC in TS and only the Congress was the real Opposition. “We will give a PowerPoint presentation on various omissions and commissions of the TRS government and expose KCR,” he said.

Mr Singh presided over the TPCC coordination committee meeting at the Gandhi Bhavan and held confabulations with Congress senior leaders on the spate of defections and internal squabbles in the party.

TPCC decided to go to people in a week’s time by taking up public issues including land acquisition by the government and highlight the ruling party’s failure to fulfil electoral promises.

“Congress leaders will henceforth not be confined to Gandhi Bhavan but will go to the people and take up public issues. We will have party committees from mandal to district level,” Mr Singh said.

Referring to Ramzan sops by the Chief Minister, he said “Muslims don’t need clothes, they need jobs, 12 per cent reservations and other support.”

Asked what action was being taken to check the internal squabbles in the party, Mr Singh said the issue was discussed and they would not be repeated again.
CLP leader K. Jana Reddy refuted Mr Rao’s statement during the day and clarified that he had opposed horse trading by former CM Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy wherein TRS legislators were inducted into the Congress. “I opposed shudra rajakiyalu,” he said.

TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy questioned the TRS government’s move to carve new districts without constituting a judicial commission.
Senior leader Koppula Eshwar was also present.