HYDERABAD: The Congress high command’s latest intervention in Telangana has once again brought into focus a familiar question within the ruling party — whether the government and the party organisation can finally function in tandem.
The coordination committee meeting held in New Delhi on the directions of the high command has renewed hopes among Congress leaders that the long-pending issue of coordination between the government and the organisation may finally be addressed. Party leaders say better coordination would help the organisation take the government’s development and welfare programmes to the grassroots while also ensuring wider consultations in appointments to party committees and nominated posts.
However, many within the party remain cautious. While similar exercises have been undertaken in the past, gaps between plan and implementation remain, and several leaders privately admit that there remains a slip between the cup and the lip when it comes to translating the high command’s directions into action. Sources said scepticism persists in both the government and the organisation over whether the decisions taken in Delhi will be implemented in letter and spirit or remain confined to meeting rooms and official minutes.
Unease within Congress
The unease within the Congress was also reflected in the recent appointments to the Yadagirigutta Temple Board, which left several MLAs, MPs and senior party leaders, particularly from Nalgonda district, dissatisfied over the manner in which the selections were made.
The issue reached AICC in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan, who is learnt to have obtained feedback from DCC presidents, MLAs, MPs, ministers and senior leaders before submitting a detailed report to the high command. The exercise was followed by consultations with TPCC chief B Mahesh Kumar Goud ahead of the coordination committee meeting. By the time the Telangana leaders assembled in New Delhi, the leadership had already formed a clear assessment of the situation.
Recurring differences
Sources said the high command expressed its displeasure over recurring differences within the Telangana unit, sought explanations over repeated friction involving ministers, MLAs and MPs, and also took note of public remarks made by some legislators against ministers, MPs and senior TPCC leaders. The leadership is learnt to have observed that many of these issues had remained unresolved despite continuing to weaken the party at the grassroots.
A senior leader who attended the meeting said the high command has been receiving regular feedback on both the government’s functioning and organisational affairs. That assessment, the leader said, pointed to shortcomings in coordination over appointments to nominated posts, district party presidents and organisational committees.
The leadership also felt that leaders in both the government and the organisation had, on several occasions, shifted responsibility instead of resolving issues collectively. It is learnt to have directed them to sit together, resolve differences and ensure better coordination in future. Party leaders, however, note that intentions alone may not be enough unless they are backed by consistent follow-up.
The meeting also appears to have laid down the process for future appointments. Another leader who attended the meeting said nominated posts would hereafter be filled only after consultations with all stakeholders, including ministers. The leader also said that, with the Congress government having stepped into the second half of its term, the high command has decided to seek monthly reports on both governance and organisational affairs, an indication that it intends to keep a closer watch on developments in Telangana.
On the same page
While some differences continue to persist, the leader expressed confidence that they would be resolved in the coming months. The immediate focus, the leader said, is to bring the government and the party organisation back on the same page before intensifying outreach on the government’s development and welfare programmes.
For now, the leadership appears to have signalled that coordination can no longer remain an aspirational goal. Whether that message translates into lasting change, however, will depend less on fresh directives than on their execution on the ground. After all, as several party leaders acknowledge privately, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.