The newly appointed AICC Secretaries for Telangana State had the first taste of groupism among the State Congress leaders on Monday not only in Hyderabad, but also in Bhuvanagiri Yadadri district.
Tempers ran high at the Greater Hyderabad Congress Committee meeting held at Indira Bhavan on Gandhi Bhavan premises in the presence of AICC Secretary Bosu Babu when supporters of the City Congress chief Anjan Kumar Yadav took to slogan shouting denouncing the statement made by former MP and cricketer Md. Azharuddin that he would contest from Secunderabad parliamentary constituency, if the high command gave him the ticket.
They vehemently opposed any move to give the ticket to Mr. Azharuddin. Mr. Anjan Kumar Yadav himself was not pleased by the former cricketer’s interview to a news agency on Sunday. “I had nurtured Secunderabad LS seat for the last 14 years and won twice from the constituency. I have every right to seek the ticket,” he said even as his followers dared Mr. Azharuddin. Former Union Ministers Sarvey Satyanarayana and P.Balram Naik, former AICC Secretary V. Hanumantha Rao and others were present when trouble broke out.
More trouble was in store for the visiting AICC leaders during the Bhongir parliamentary constituency review in Bhongir town of Yadadri district.
The Bhongir Parliament constituency review, that included five Assembly constituencies – Aler, Bhongir, Thungathurthy, Nakrekal and Munugode, and Jangaon and Ibrahimpatnam witnessed show of strength by the leaders, who came with their supporters. Each constituency had at least two groups, allegedly backed by the Pradesh Congress Committee president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy and Nalgonda MLC Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy, one each.
For instance, when it was Nakrekal constituency’s turn for the review at around 4 p.m., partymen and followers of Chirumarthi Lingaiah backed by the MLC and Prasanna Raj supported by the PCC chief exchanged heated words, tore down side curtains and broke plastic.
AICC Secretary Saleem Ahmed’s clarification that the meeting was not on identifying the candidates did not cut ice with the workers. The situation was similarly stressful when review of Thugathurthy, Aler and Bhongir was on.
Party representatives and followers from Munugode constituency were in three groups – Palvai Sravanthi Reddy, Punna Kailash with a large BC vote favour and the third group backed by Mr. Rajagopal Reddy. All the three exited in separate ways as discontent grew.
TPCC leaders said that in every parliamentary constituency there was intense lobbying for the ticket. More than half a dozen leaders are eyeing each seat and visit of AICC leaders is turning into show of strength.
In fact, in Bhongir LS seat, there are top leaders who are keen on contesting the poll which is not much to the liking of Komatireddy brothers.
