Renuka and Bhatti at loggerheads over DCC posts

KHAMMAM: While the revamp of the Congress committees in the state is raising several problems, the formation of DCCs has also been causing heartburns in some districts. The change of the guard for the Khammam DCC has been postponed by the TPCC amid conflicting claims.

Congress legislature party leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and former Union minister Renuka Chowdary are at loggerheads over the selections. Bhatti wants the continuation of DCC president Puvvalla Durga Prasad in the post. Bhatti said Puvvalla organised so many programmes against the “anti-people policies” of the TRS government. Puvvalla, appointed as DCC president three and a half years back, joined the Congress 30 years ago and sailed with Bhatti all along.

Renuka Chowdary, who wants to retain her grip over the DCC affairs, proposed two names --Khammam market committee’s former chairman Manukonda Radhakishore and another leader Bonakal Paidipalli Kishore.

Interestingly, the two senior leaders recommended the names from the Kamma community for the DCC chief post. TPCC president Revanth Reddy failed to forge unity among Khammam Congress leaders vis-à-vis the new appointments and postponed the formation of the DCC along with those for six other districts including Suryapet, Janagaon, Rangareddy and Bhupalpally.

Renuka, who wants to play a key role in the state Congress in the next assembly elections, is using her position in the TPCC to install her followers in the DCC.

Khammam district had a good representation in the TPCC committee and the party’s political affairs committee. CLP leader Bhatti and Renuka were taken as PAC members of the Congress. Potla Nageswara Rao, former MLC and Congress leader from Khammam, was appointed as one of the 24 vice-presidents. K Manavatha Roy and Nuthi Satyanarayana from Khammam were given TPCC general secretary posts. There were 84 general secretaries for the party in Telangana.

In Bhadradri-Kothagudem district, Yadavalli Krishna and former MLA Thati Venkateswarlu were appointed as general secretaries. Bhadrachalam MLA Podem Veeraiah was given a chance to continue as president of Bhadradri district Congress committee.