HYDERABAD: The dwindling fortunes of the Congress across the country seem to be having an adverse impact on its financial situation so much so that the party is now finding it difficult to look after its immovable assets. This can be gauged from the fact that the grand old party has no money to even maintain Gandhi Bhavan, the headquarters of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC).
According to the TPCC leaders, around Rs 5 to Rs 7 lakh is required for monthly maintenance of the office, including electricity, water and housekeeping bills as well as the salaries of around 17 regular employees. However, there is no money in the grand old party’s kitty. Besides these monthly bills, the expenses shoot up by Rs 15 lakh if the State unit of the party hosts any major programme as they have to look after hotel bills and transportation charges for accommodating the AICC in-charges and the guests coming from the high command.
“We came to know about the pathetic position of Gandhi Bhavan. There is certainly a problem. There is no money even to pay monthly salaries to the staff,” said a veteran leader on condition of anonymity.
“The party should find resources. It is the responsibility of TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy. We will discuss this problem in our core committee meeting to be held on Thursday,” the leader added.
Cost-cutting
The party has already initiated cost-cutting measures and among them is temporarily “shutting down the IT wing as the general elections are still far away”. Meanwhile, a former TPCC chief, who too requested anonymity, said: “We have discussed the Gandhi Bhavan maintenance issue with the party high command in the past. After that, the AICC extended financial support for some years. But after the party lost power at the Centre and subsequent negative poll results in other states, the money stopped arriving. Now it is left for the TPCC to fend for itself.”
When Express contacted TPCC vice-president and Gandhi Bhavan in-charge T Kumar Rao, he admitted there is a “delay in paying the monthly salaries to the employees but it was not an issue”. “It is the responsibility of the TPCC to take care of these expenses. When our party was in power, the chief ministers used to take care of that aspect,” he said.