Change of guard in TPCC likely

• Ponnala may be shown the door soon
• Reddy leaders in T Congress favour Jaipal
• Say Jaipal’s seniority and clean image will help strengthen the party
• Complain to AICC against Ponnala, Uttam for failure to curb TRS poaching

Hyderabad: The power struggle in Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) seems to have reached a new peak as the party leaders are mounting pressure on its Central leadership to revamp the party unit and change the State president.

According to sources, all the senior leaders from Reddy community had united and proposed the name of party senior leader Jaipal Reddy and insisted the party high command to nominate the septuagenarian as the head of the TPCC replacing the incumbent Ponnala Lakshmaiah.

The proposal was made at the recent meeting convened by AICC general secretary and state party in charge Digvijay Singh. Party senior leaders D Srinivas and Renuka Chowdary also seem to have favoured Jaipal Reddy as the new TPCC chief. These leaders complained to the high command that Lakshmaiah and TPCC working president N Uttam Kumar Reddy had failed to stop migration of the leaders to Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). Singh also reportedly endorsed the demand and the same was communicated to AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

Party sources told The Hans India that CLP leader K Jana Reddy and other senior leaders DK Aruna, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, R Venkat Reddy, G Venkataramana Reddy, KR Suresh Reddy, P Sudharshan Reddy, P Sabitha Indra Reddy and party MLAs from the same community told the high command that there was a very little hope of the party’s revival in Telangana State if the present TPCC chief was not changed. Jaipal Reddy’s intellectual quality, big brother like attitude, clean image and seniority in Telangana politics would be a great advantage in reviving the party leader in T state,” a senior leader said. They said the Reddy community, which held sway in the party till 2014 elections, had joined the TRS due to lack of leadership in the party. The recent shifting loyalties by Congress MLA from Muthole G Vithal Reddy and the party MLCs – Yadava Reddy, Jagdeesh Reddy and other senior leaders to the TRS gave a big jolt to the party, they told the party high command.

KCR targeted Congress leaders from Reddy community and was indulging in operation Akarsh so that there would not be any formidable opposition by 2019. To counter the poaching, the party should have a strong leadership. In the present situation, the leaders particularly from Reddy community felt Jaipal would be the right choice to counter KCR and strengthen the party in Telangana.

“Jaipal is the only leader equal to the stature maintained by KCR in the present situation. KCR's political maturity and acumen can be gauged only by Jaipal Reddy as all the other leaders were already failed to counter the TRS chief,” a senior Congress leader said. Sources said the party high command would take a decision on the change of guard for the TPCC after the T state budget session. Since majority of the leaders have been favoured Jaipal, Reddy leaders hoped the AICC would endorse his name.