Rumblings in Telangana Congress against Digvijaya Singh

Hyderabad: After party leaders had openly expressed their anger against AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh, he is now facing dissent even from Telangana Congress leaders.

A few Telangana Congress leaders are now alleging that Mr Singh had at one stage lobbied for TS TD working presidento become the next PCC chief and lead the party in the 2019 elections.

These leaders allege that Mr Singh had indeed contacted state Congress leaders for their opinion. According to these T-Congress leaders, Mr Singh met Mr Revanth Reddy at a star hotel during one of his visits to the city and reportedly offered him the post of TPCC chief.

Sources said that Mr Revanth Reddy also spoke to TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy after the offer. The sources said that Mr Singh’s logic was that in Mr Revanth Reddy, the T-Congress would get a new face on the eve of 2019 elections; a face that is a known critic of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, a powerful orator who is able to counter the TRS moves in the elections.

However, both Mr Revanth Reddy and Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy have denied such reports saying that they were absolutely baseless. Speaking to this newspaper, Mr Revanth Reddy said it was a fact he met Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy recently and they spoke about forming an alliance against the TRS in the next elections.

“Why should I join the Congress which has miserably failed as the principal Opposition party? What additional benefit do I get by joining the Congress?” he asked.

Mr Revanth Reddy added: “It is a fact that I told Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy that it would be better for the Congress to strike an alliance with the TD and Left parties so that to take on TRS in coming elections. Since elections are two years away, whether this alliance will work out or not will depend on future political developments.” He also denied any meeting with Mr Singh and the latter offering him the TPCC president’s post.

Meanwhile, anti-Digvijay Singh forces are now busy in condemning him against the backdrop of his reported inaction as party in-charge in Goa. Rajya Sabha Member Palvai Govardhan Reddy has already lodged a complaint against Mr Singh with the AICC, demanding his removal.

According to sources, Mr Govardhan Reddy had been unhappy with Mr Singh for reportedly encouraging Komatireddy Venkata Reddy and his brother Rajagopal Reddy both in Nalgonda and T-Congress affairs against the TPCC chief.

Mr Venkata Reddy had issued highly critical statements in public against Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy, but no action was taken against him, despite senior Congress leaders demanded that Mr Singh do so.

Similarly, senior leader Marri Sasidhar Reddy has started complaining against Mr Singh for his closeness with former City Congress president Danam Nagender.
Neither the TPCC nor the AICC had made any move to fill the City Congress chief’s post vacated by Mr Nagender.

In a related development, TPCC sources said that major changes in the AICC set up are expected by March-end, soon after Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi returns from the USA along with his ailing mother Sonia Gandhi, on March 22.

It is a fact that though a number of attempts, no changes have taken place at the AICC-level after the 2014 general elections debacle.