HYDERABAD: A day after the nomination papers of AICC Telangana in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan for the Rajya Sabha were rejected by the Returning Officer in Madhya Pradesh on the ground that a private complaint had been filed against her in a Telangana court, the state Congress was abuzz with speculation over how details of the 2025 complaint reached the BJP.
While the TPCC maintained radio silence in public, the mood within the party was far more tense, with leaders and cadres alike trying to figure out how details of the complaint had reached the Returning Officer.
A social media post by BJP national general secretary BL Santhosh during the course of the day added fuel to the speculation that had already gripped the Telangana Congress. Without naming anyone, the BJP leader suggested that the information had originated from within the Congress itself.
“The whole @INCIndia brigade & its bagpipers in media who are shouting from rooftops cannot answer one single question who from its ranks brought the Telangana case to public domain. Better to plug that hole to arrest future embarrassments,” he posted on X.
Privately, many Congress leaders wondered whether the BJP was simply trying to throw the proverbial cat among the pigeons and deepen existing fault lines within the ruling party. Others, however, brushed aside that possibility and focused on a more immediate question: How did information relating to the private complaint reach the BJP? Was there a leak? And if so, was it someone in the Telangana Congress who had an axe to grind with Meenakshi?
The question gained traction because the development comes at a time when the party is already grappling with internal differences over organisational appointments, nominations and the distribution of key positions. It also comes against the backdrop of an expected mid-term reset in both the government and the party organisation.
Power play, petty politics behind leaking of complaint to BJP?
According to party sources, discussions are underway on a series of organisational appointments and possible changes in the Cabinet. Several leaders are said to be in contention for key positions, especially party working president posts, while others are lobbying for ministerial berths or organisational responsibilities. The prospect of a broader reshuffle has triggered intense activity both in Hyderabad and New Delhi, with aspirants and their supporters actively pressing their claims before the party leadership.
In that backdrop, some leaders privately acknowledged that Meenakshi’s views carried considerable weight in organisational matters and appointments in Telangana. Her position as the party’s in-charge, they said, inevitably placed her at the centre of competing political interests within the state unit.
Several leaders also point to the Rajya Sabha election held earlier this year as an example of the competing interests at play within the party. The lone seat from Telangana had attracted interest from multiple aspirants before the party eventually backed Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s adviser, Vem Narender Reddy. While the decision was implemented without any public dissent, discussions within the party reflected differing views on who should be sent to the Upper House.
Similar differences have surfaced during discussions on organisational appointments. Whenever vacancies arose or new positions were proposed, competing groups often lobbied for their preferred candidates, turning even routine decisions into delicate balancing exercises for the leadership.
Against that backdrop, some leaders now view the controversy surrounding Meenakshi through the prism of Telangana’s internal Congress politics rather than as an isolated development in Madhya Pradesh.
Party sources acknowledge that Meenakshi’s tenure as Telangana in-charge has not been without friction. While she has generally maintained cordial relations across factions, differences have surfaced on certain issues and approaches.
One such episode frequently cited in party circles relates to the POCSO case registered against Bandi Bhageerath, son of Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay. According to sources, Meenakshi had favoured a stronger political response from the party and had suggested that Congress women leaders meet the alleged victim. The proposal, however, did not gain traction and was never acted upon.
The episode is now being revisited by some leaders as they attempt to understand whether any past disagreements could have contributed to the current situation. Others dismiss such theories as overreach and caution against reading too much into routine differences that are common in any large political organisation.
What has added to the intrigue is the absence of any official explanation from Congress leaders in Telangana. Even as speculation swirled through party circles on Wednesday, senior leaders largely avoided discussing the issue publicly.
As a result, attention within the party has shifted from the rejection of Meenakshi’s nomination papers to the unanswered question of how a Telangana complaint found its way into a Rajya Sabha contest in Madhya Pradesh.