HYDERABAD: Senior Congress legislators P. Shankar Rao and P. Janardhan Reddy openly criticised Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy for the `decline in the ruling party's popularity" among the masses.

Talking to the media on Saturday, they said Dr. Reddy must be held squarely responsible if the party faced a debacle in the general elections in 2009. Neglect of party seniors did not augur well for the Congress, they said.

Disinclination

Adding to the Chief Minister's woes on the eve of his departure to the United States, Ramannapet MLA V. Purushottam Reddy, expressed his disinclination to take up the post of chairman of Telangana Regional Development Board.

Earlier, two other senior MLAs P. Sambasiva Raju and Gade Venkat Reddy declined the Chief Minister's offer to head other regional boards.

After meeting AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh at the Lake View Guest House, Mr. Purushottam Reddy said he was not keen on taking up a post that did not have any funds or role.

Earlier, Mr. Janardhan Reddy met Mr. Gade Venkat Reddy to seek his support. But the latter's response was lukewarm though he too had criticised the neglect of party seniors.

Mr. Venkat Reddy reportedly maintained that he would remain loyal to the Chief Minister.

Mr. Shankar Rao said the anti-incumbency factor was growing by the day and the ruling party stood no chance in the next elections.

"There is a negative feeling everywhere. I have been denied a Cabinet berth just because I am a Dalit."

In a frontal attack against Dr. Reddy, he said, "Here, we have a Government in which the Chief Minister and Ministers sign files without reading the content. Look at my excellent track record. Even the Opposition appreciated my talent."

Reverses

On the other hand, Mr. Janardhan Reddy pointed out that the ruling party had suffered reverses in elections to the civic bodies in Rajahmundry, Visakhapatnam and Hindupurm, lost the Karimnagar Lok Sabha byelection and faced setbacks in the Council elections from the Local Authorities Constituencies (LACs).

"What does all this indicate if not the decline in our party's popularity?"

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