HYDERABAD: With controversies like the Singareni–Naini coal block tender issue and the HILT policy erupting, the Congress high command is learnt to have decided to summon Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, along with a few ministers, to New Delhi.
As the Congress comes under sustained fire from the Opposition, particularly the BRS, the party leadership at the Centre wants to take stock of the ground reality in Telangana and stem the rot before matters spiral out of control.
According to sources, senior party leaders at the national level have brought the recent developments in Telangana to the notice of Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.
The sources said the high command is keen on reviewing the situation threadbare with the state leadership and assessing the likely political fallout of the controversies on the party’s prospects in the upcoming elections.
CM, Congress high command meet likely in Feb first week
The meeting is expected to take place in the first week of February, coinciding with the commencement of the Budget Session of Parliament. The leadership is also likely to use the occasion to finalise appointments to key organisational posts, including working presidents and positions in the campaign committee.
Sources further stated that the high command is reportedly unhappy with a string of issues, including the Singareni–Naini coal block tender controversy. What has deeply troubled the party leadership is the news story telecast by a vernacular television channel against a minister. This apart, the simmering disputes among ministers, and the backlash over the HILT policy are causing an embarrassment to the party’s central leaders.
It is learnt that a few ministers, MLAs and senior leaders have complained to Sonia Gandhi about the defection of BRS MLAs to the Congress and the BRS’s attempt to run down Rahul Gandhi by alleging that he was encouraging defections in Telangana, even as he publicly projects himself as a staunch defender of the Constitution by carrying a copy of the Indian Constitution in his pocket.
Sources said the high command wants to get to the bottom of what transpired in the Naini coal block allotment process, following complaints from certain Telangana leaders who fear that the controversy could give the party’s image a severe beating.
According to sources, a key leader has sent an email to Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi alleging that a few party leaders were trying to tarnish their image on social media and target leaders perceived to be close to them. The complainants have urged the high command to crack the whip and initiate action against those indulging in such acts.
Another complaint doing the rounds is that a few senior leaders who have now become MLAs have conveyed to the high command their displeasure over newly inducted leaders from other parties being given undue importance and their appointment to nominated posts. They are reportedly asking why they are being pushed to the margins at a time when loyal party workers, who stood by the Congress through thick and thin, expect their due.
Meanwhile, a few ministers are said to be drafting a detailed note to the party high command on the prevailing situation in the state. They are also likely to seek a reshuffle of portfolios, requesting that departments with whom they are familiar with be entrusted to them.