HYDERABAD: In a surprise move, the Congress offered the SC-reserved Secunderabad Cantonment ticket to revolutionary balladeer and renowned folk singer late Gaddar’s family. While rumours abound suggesting that the grand old party prefers Gaddar’s daughter Vennela over his son Suryam, party insiders clarified that the decision ultimately rests with Gaddar’s family.
These speculations are grounded in the belief that Vennela has inherited many of the distinctive qualities and attributes that made her father a prominent figure. At a time when the party’s bigwigs from well-to-do families are struggling to secure a ticket, the Congress’ decision to offer a ticket to Gaddar’s family is being frowned upon by many.
Sources said that the association between Gaddar and Gandhi family, after the former reposed faith in Parliamentary democracy, led to the party offering a ticket to his family.The Gaddar-Gandhi family camaraderie was evident during the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, which was organised recently in Hyderabad, as the party’s top leaders including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi met the late balladeer’s family.
Speaking to TNIE, TPCC campaign committee chairman Madhu Yaskhi Goud said: “Soniaji embraced Gaddar’s family with fondness when she was in Hyderabad to attend the CWC meeting. Gaddar was also very close to Rahul Gandhi.”
He recalled that in 2018, Rahul Gandhi himself arranged a meeting between Sonia Gandhi and Gaddar and his family. Gaddar, however, rejected the party’s offer to contest in the 2018 Assembly elections and the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the former MP added.
By offering a ticket to the Gaddar family in the upcoming elections, the Congress appears to be strategically targeting the consolidation of communist and anti-incumbency votes while also championing social justice, given Gaddar’s Dalit background.