Senior Congress leader and AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh has been brought back as in charge of AP affairs relieving Ghulam Nabi Azad from the responsibility as part of reconstitution of the party at the national level on Sunday.
In the reconstituted Congress Working Committee and AICC, Eluru MP K.S. Rao has been made permanent invitee of the Congress Working Committee while Rajya Sabha member V. Hanumantha Rao has been retained as the AICC secretary.
Induction of Mr. Sambasiva Rao and retention of Mr. Hanumantha Rao in the AICC has almost closed the doors for their possible inclusion in the Union Cabinet. Their appointment as party office-bearers has now raised the hopes of Rajya Sabha member J.D. Seelam, who has been lobbying hard for a berth in the Union Cabinet.
Ponguleti dropped
Former Minister G. Chinna Reddy made a surprise entry into the AICC as secretary attached to party general secretary Mukul Wasnik. He will be handling the party affairs in Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and Lakshadweep. INTUC president G. Sanjeeva Reddy has been made the special invitee in the CWC. MLC Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy, who was the AICC secretary, has been dropped.
Party leaders say Mr. Azad has been relieved of the party position as part of the one man one post formula approved during the Jaipur conclave of the Congress some time ago. Mr. Singh returns to the State after a gap of almost seven years. Welcoming the appointment, PCC President Botcha Satyanarayana told The Hindu on Sunday that Mr. Singh was an experienced politician, who knew the party’s affairs in Andhra Pradesh very well. “His earlier stint will make his task easy to handle the situation here. Being a former Chief Minister, the present government can always take his advice to improve the functioning,” he pointed out.
However, some Telangana Congress leaders are sceptical about the stand the AICC general secretary would take on the statehood issue.
