HYDERABAD: Internal differences within the ruling Congress are intensifying, with factional disputes among ministers, MPs and MLAs spilling beyond Assembly constituencies and reaching the state leadership and the AICC. The growing tensions have caused concern among party leaders and cadre as the government approaches its third anniversary.
For the past three years, factional rivalries largely remained confined to individual constituencies. However, disputes involving ministers, ministers and MPs, and ministers and MLAs have now escalated, leaving the party leadership struggling to contain the fallout.
The Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president and other senior leaders have made repeated attempts to resolve the differences, but their efforts have yielded little result, said sources.
A recent flashpoint involved Health Minister C Damodar Rajanarasimha and Jukkal MLA Laxmikant Rao, who reportedly exchanged abuses in New Delhi while attending a meeting addressed by former AICC president Rahul Gandhi at Ramlila Maidan. TPCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud purportedly attempted to broker peace between the two, but both skipped the meeting convened to resolve the dispute. Mahesh is learnt to have decided to send a report on the matter to the AICC.
Meanwhile, complaints of disputes between ministers are also said to have reached the party high command. Sources said two senior ministers, both elected to the Assembly several times, complained against each other during a recent visit to New Delhi for the INDIA bloc rally at Ramlila Maidan.
Adding to the unease, a senior minister reportedly accused certain individuals of acting as brokers within the government during an informal interaction with the media. He also questioned the conduct of some government advisers and said he wanted to expose their activities. The remarks have reportedly caused a stir within the government, with the chief minister’s camp seeking to ascertain what prompted the outburst. The minister, however, is said to have refrained from sharing details with the officials concerned.
Another flashpoint involves ministers D Sridhar Babu, G Vivek Venkataswamy and Peddapalli MP G Vamshi Krishna. The MP reportedly wrote to the leadership opposing action against MLAs Vijaya Ramana Rao and Makkan Singh Raj Thakur. He also criticised Sridhar for not suspending the two MLAs after they skipped Rahul’s rally in Delhi d attended a private function in the minister’s constituency.
The episode has intensified group politics in Peddapalli. Leaders from Manthani have also complained against Vivek Venkataswamy, alleging that he met BRS leaders and encouraged them in the constituency. The latest developments have revived earlier differences between the two camps.
Discontent is also growing among MLAs over the alleged lack of funds and delays in clearing bills for development works in their constituencies. Munugode MLA K Rajagopal Reddy, Jadcherla MLA Anirudh Reddy and Khanapur MLA Vedma Bojju are among those reportedly unhappy with the government’s response.
A minister claimed that nearly 70% of MLAs were dissatisfied with the allocation of funds, alleging that constituencies represented by ministers received preferential treatment. Several MLAs also feel that ministers have ignored their requests, leaving them frustrated and humiliated, the minister said.
A senior MLA said he had repeatedly visited the Chief Minister’s Office, ministers and advisers but had been unable to fulfil even 30% of the promises made to voters in his constituency in the past three years. The failure to secure development works despite repeated visits had caused embarrassment, he said.
With the government nearing the completion of three years in office, the widening rifts pose a challenge to the Congress leadership, while uncertainty is growing among party cadre over the course of the internal disputes.