Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee is in for complete overhauling with party’s central leadership keen on roping in seniors and inducting them into key positions in the State unit to give the much needed boost to the cadre.
The AICC leadership, particularly general secretary Digvijay Singh, has held wide ranging consultations with the State unit president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, working president Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Congress Legislature Party leader K. Jana Reddy and Leader of Opposition in Council Md. Ali Shabbir and came to a conclusion that corrective measures had to be taken to revive the party’s fortunes in the State.
Successive debacle
The successive debacle in the by-elections, defections of party legislators to the ruling TRS, lack of effective programmes to expose the government’s failure and senior leaders maintaining low profile after losing elections have taken a heavy toll on the party functioning.
Amid reports of lack of direction from the top leadership, the AICC functionaries decided to take up complete revamp of the party unit. In the first phase, it has decided to increase the number of coordination committee members from eight to 20.
Presently, the TPCC chief, working president, CLP leader, Leader of Opposition in Council, former Ministers C. Damodar Raj Narsimha, J. Geeta Reddy, D. Sridhar Babu and former TPCC president Ponnala Lakshmaiah are members of the coordination committee.
Guiding the young
A top party source told The Hindu that AICC leadership wants a broad-based coordination committee. “Apart from the existing members, the party will induct present MPs, legislators and one or two senior leaders, besides former MPs,” the source said. The idea is to involve more leaders in the day-to-day functioning of the party and guide the young leadership.
This apart, the TPCC executive is set to be revamped. In the revised committee, as many as 10 vice-presidents, 20 general secretaries and 10 other executive committee members would be selected.
Signals emanating from the central leadership suggest that the State party chief has been asked to ease out district unit presidents, whose performance is not satisfactory. With the Greater Hyderabad Congress Committee president Danam Nagender maintaining a low profile, the party has decided to find his successor. Similarly, the Ranga Reddy unit will have a new president. It is understood that the DCC chiefs of Nizamabad and Khammam would also be replaced.
When contacted, TPCC president Mr. Uttam Kumar Reddy said the central leadership was in touch with seniors. “We will shortly have enlarged coordination committee besides full fledged TPCC executive,” he said adding that party functioning would be revamped by involving all the seniors and taking up agitation programmes against the government’s failure on various counts.
