HYDERABAD: Gandhi Bhavan witnessed tumultuous scenes on Saturday when supporters of former MLA P Vishnuvardhan Reddy resorted to an attack on the Congress state headquarters.
While their reaction was more extreme, the denial of tickets for the November 30 Assembly elections led to tears of disappointment in some cases, and aggressive protests in others.
Vishnuvardhan Reddy’s supporters expressed their anger by pelting stones and hurling bricks at the Gandhi Bhavan while raising slogans against TPCC chief A Revanth Reddy. They also set posters of Revanth on fire to symbolise their protest.
It appears that the turmoil in the party doesn’t end there. Numerous other Congress members, who aspired for tickets, feel betrayed by the party’s decisions. Some have even taken the extreme step of resigning from their primary membership of the party.
Individual revolts and ultimatums have emerged from multiple aspirants in different constituencies, each expressing their disillusionment and anger over being overlooked for the upcoming elections. Prominent leaders like Vishnuvardhan Reddy have vowed to participate in the upcoming elections independently.
Amid this churning are the allegations levelled by the disappointed aspirants. Mudhole aspirant Vijay Kumar Reddy demanded that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigate Revanth, insinuating ‘money-for-tickets’ transactions.
The discontent has spread across various regions. Aspirants like Erra Shekar from Makthal declared their intent to contest as rebels, while supporters in Parkal and Warangal threatened non-cooperation with the Congress candidates unless their grievances were addressed.
In a poignant resignation letter, TPCC minority cell chairman Shaik Abdullah Sohail, with a longstanding three-decade tenure in the party, expressed his profound disillusionment.
Sohail highlighted grievances about the party’s current state under Revanth. His accusations included corrupt practices like the purported sale of party positions and Assembly tickets, and deviation from the party’s founding secular principles and values.
KHARGE TO VISIT MEDAK DISTRICT TODAY
The Congress has made preparations for AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge who will be visiting the erstwhile Medak district on Sunday, along with party leaders A Revanth Reddy and Damodar Raja Narasimha