HYDERABAD: In a development which was on expected lines, the Congress high command on Saturday dropped Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president Ponnala Laxmaiah from the post and replaced him with Huzurnagar MLA N Uttam Kumar Reddy.
Speculation is also rife within Congress circles that Opposition leader in the Assembly K Jana Reddy is also likely to be removed.
Jana Reddy has been drawing flak from his own party leaders from some time now as he was unable to take on the TRS government effectively on various issue.
However, some Congress leaders are endorsing the stand taken by Jana Reddy stating that the TRS did not earn much opposition from the people in the last nine months and the Congress still needs time to make virulent attack on the TRS, especially chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.
After the removal of Ponnala, the Congress high command summoned Jana Reddy to Delhi. It remains to be seen whether Jana Reddy would be replaced by another leader in the Assembly, whose Budget session is scheduled to commence on March 7. If sources are to be believed, Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka will be made Opposition leader in the Assembly.
As new PCC chief Uttam Kumar Reddy hails from Nalgonda district, Congress leadership is not interested to continue Jana Reddy as Opposition leader as he is too from Nalgonda district.
However, removal of Ponnala was on expected lines. The Congress high command is unhappy with the performance of Ponnala as PCC chief. After the debacle in the Assembly polls, the Congress high command has been contemplating to change Ponnala to rejuvenate the party in Telangana. Even though, the UPA government carved out Telangana state, the party failed to win votes in 2014 elections in Telangana
Four-time MLA: Uttam Kumar Reddy is a four time MLA. He was elected twice from Kodad and twice from Huzurnagar. He was housing minister in YS Rajasekhara Reddy Cabinet. Before entering politics, Reddy worked as chief security officer at Rashtrapati Bhavan and prior to that he was a pilot in the Air Force.