Advertisement

Hasty decision on TPCC Chief may cause damage: V Hanumantha Rao to Sonia Gandhi

Hasty decision on TPCC Chief may cause damage: V Hanumantha Rao to Sonia Gandhi

Senior Congress leader from Telangana V Hanumantha Rao wrote to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi asking her to send observers of AICC (All India Congress Committee) to Telangana before taking major decisions like appointing a new TPCC (Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee) president. Noting that there were differences of opinion within TPCC between “loyal Congress leaders” and “migrant leaders” who came in from other parties in the past few years, Hanumantha Rao said that instead of depending only on the reports of AICC Telangana in-charge Manickam Tagore, it would be beneficial if the AICC high command sent other observers to elicit opinions from different quarters, from senior and junior leaders.

The Telangana unit of Congress has not had a chief since former TPCC President  Uttam Kumar Reddy resigned from the post, after the debacle in the GHMC (Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation) elections. Uttam Kumar Reddy has since been serving as the interim chief until the president is chosen.

Several Congress leaders in the state have been positioning themselves as potential leaders, and have made attempts to garner public support. Some of the apparent aspirants include Malkajgiri MP Revanth Reddy, Bhongir MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, former Minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu, V Hanumantha Rao and a few others. The post is considered crucial for the party ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections in Telangana. The AICC Telangana in-charge, Manickam Tagore, had earlier said that the appointment of TPCC’s new chief would be made after the Nagarjuna Sagar bye-poll, which was completed in April.

In his letter, Hanumantha Rao noted several instances in the past when AICC had deputed its observers to resolve party issues in different states like Punjab, Kerala and Karnataka. “Taking a hasty decision relying on TPCC In-Charge may cause severe damage to the party. Already 12 leaders who defected from TDP and won as MLAs on Congress party tickets had left our party. There is no guarantee that those who come from other parties will remain in Congress or not,” he wrote. “I am making this sincere suggestion in the larger interests of the Congress Party in Telangana and to further strengthen to effectively face the 2024 general elections,” he added.

Also read: 

From 'deekshas' to 'padayatras': Telangana Cong chief aspirants seek public support

Video: Congress workers throw bike into Hyderabad lake to protest petrol price hike