Hyderabad: Why AICC president Rahul Gandhi ignored party leaders from the two Telugu States of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana while reconstituting the CWC, the highest decision-making body of the party?
Though many Congress leaders from the two Telugu States had pinned a lot of hopes to find a place in the CWC, much to their chagrin, none of them were accommodated in the 23-member body causing heartburn among them. What is intriguing is that while two party leaders — a father and son– from Assam and one from Tamil Nadu were included in the CWC despite the fact that many senior and experienced leaders from the two States have been ardent loyalists of the Gandhi family. As a matter of fact, many senior party leaders in the undivided AP have not only served in the CWC in the past but also played a key role in the formation of UPA-1 and UPA-2 governments at the Centre.
Thus the non-inclusion of any party leader from the two Telugu States has raised many an eye brow in political circles. Is it a sign that Rahul Gandhi, who seemed determined to revitalize the party in AP and also striving hard to ensure the party to come back to power in TS, has no confidence in the capabilities of any leader from the two States to be included in the CWC? This aspect was inching the party leaders, especially in the context of the ensuing 2019 elections and growing undercurrents over the omissions and commissions of the ruling parties in the two States.
It is pertinent to recall here that in the past senior Congress leaders like late G. Venkatswamy, S. Jaipal Reddy and K. Kesav Rao (now in TRS) have served as CWC members. Despite the fact there are experienced party leaders like Jaipal Reddy, V. Hanumanth Rao, Uttam Kumar Reddy, Renuka Chowdhary and Sarve Satyanarayana, who are all known loyalists of the Gandhi family in Telangana and leaders like Pallam Raju, T. Subbirami Reddy, N Raghuveera Reddy and others in ACP, none of them were considered for being accommodated in the Central party’s decision-making body.
What has become a talking point in political circles, including among the Congress leaders, was that Rahul Gandhi was very keen and enthusiastic in brining back into the party fold former chief minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy. AICC Secretary in-charge of AP Ommen Chandy was entrusted with the task of convincing Kiran Kumar Reddy to rejoin the party and he had succeeded in this task. It was speculated that Kiran Kumar Reddy would be entrusted with some important position in the Central party organization to give a boost for revitalizing the party in AP. However, it has come a big surprise in party circles when he too was dumped from inclusion in the CWC. However, the only solace was that veteran trade Union leader G. Sanjeeva Reddy from the Telangana State has retained his position in the CWC as a permanent special invitee on behalf of the INTUC.
Many staunch Telangana Congress leaders, who have been relentlessly waging a war against the ruling TRS on various issues concerning the people, especially the farming community, were shocked and disappointed at the Central party leadership for ignoring them in accommodating them in the CWC. A former MP, who served as president of APCC in the past, V Hanumanth Rao, an ardent loyalist of the Gandhi family since Sanjay Gandhi days, said it was disheartening that the Telangana unit of the party was ignored in the CWC.
Political analysts feel that frequent reports about unabated infighting and raging power politics among Congress leaders in the two Telugu States, has not only caused great concern, but also irked Rahul Gandhi as party leaders had failed to mend their ways despite his advice. This might have been the root cause for him to lose confidence in the party leaders of the two Telugu States and hence shut the CWC doors for any of them, these analysts opined. (NSS)
