Discontent is brewing in the City Congress over the itinerary of party national leader and Union Minister for Health Gulam Nabi Azad, who is coming to the city on Gandhi Jayanti day to participate in the “Vande Gandheeyam” programme.
A small group of disgruntled leaders called on Secondary Education Minister Kolusu Parathasarathy on Sunday and complained to him that no time slot had been allotted for Congress workers, and leaders belonging to the minorities and weaker sections to meet the Union Minister.
‘No time'
They told him that the organisers of “Vande Gandheeyam” when approached by them said the “time was not sufficient”.
The disgruntled leaders told the Minister that the party tradition of the visiting leaders making a stop at the party office had also been set aside. They urged the Minister to press the national leader to visit the historic Andhra Ratna Bhavan so that the minorities and weaker sections could utilise the opportunity to interact with the Union Minister and submit their representations.
While followers of Vijayawada MP Lagadapati Rajagopal are organising the programme on behalf of the Gandhi Global Family, New Delhi, his rivals in the party seem to be supporting the “brewing discontent”.
Dominant role
Party leaders, who do not see eye to eye with the MP, are upset with the dominant role he is playing in the city.
The visit of APCC president Botcha Satyanarayana on September 2 was entirely Mr Rajagopal's show.
And now the MP is organising yet another big show bringing Mr. Azad and Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy to the city exactly a month after that.