The new year has brought some refreshing change in the Telangana Congress with its chief A. Revanth Reddy spending more time at the party headquarters to meet the cadre and also the leaders who have been questioning his inaccessibility ever since he was appointed.
Apparently, AICC in-charge for Telangana Manickam Tagore has taken the feedback from the cadre and the leaders to Mr. Reddy about his inaccessibility at the party headquarters to senior leaders as well as those coming from districts.
Good sign
Mr. Reddy is now a regular visitor to the Gandhi Bhavan and his visits have increased in the last two weeks to attend meetings and stay back for interaction with the cadre. This is a good sign irrespective of the reasons behind his much-needed visits to the party headquarters, say the Congress leaders.
In the first two months after his appointment, the party office was refurbished giving it a corporate look from the old-style Congress party offices that resembled the government offices.
Making it Vaastu compliant, several rooms were expanded and the PCC chief’s room itself was shifted.
Construction work
“Construction work was one of the reasons why Mr. Revanth Reddy rarely spent time at the Gandhi Bhavan,” a close follower of Mr. Reddy defended.
Now, he wants to spare more time for the cadre who come from remote areas with lots of enthusiasm.
“Earlier, they used to drop in at his residence but now they are being encouraged to come to Gandhi Bhavan.”
But senior leaders have also had issues with Mr. Reddy on unavailability over the mobile as well. This issue was raised in the first Political Affairs Committee (PAC) meeting where all senior leaders are either members or invitees.
“It is difficult to reach him over the phone and that is a big impediment in building relations with the leaders working in the districts,” a senior leader agreed
“However, that problem is now more or less settled with his personal assistants informing the chief of important calls.”
Welcoming the change, a senior leader quipped, “It is important for the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee chief to keep the senior leaders in good humour even if he has a good following among the party cadre.”
“In a party like Congress, just mass following is not enough to enhance his image but also talk to the senior leaders on constant basis.”
Revanth Reddy, who has been facing some tough times with seniors, who are unhappy over his elevation to the top position in a short span of time, is also trying to bridge the gap. Despite several complaints to the party high command, he has not spoken a word against them in public.
“He had won over some seniors but has to make smarter moves to bring the remaining into his loop,” a senior leader suggested.
