Uttams elevation irks seniors in T Congress

Hyderabad: Ahead of possible elevation of Rahul Gandhi as party president at the AICC session next month, All-India Congress Committee (AICC) on Monday appointed five new state unit chiefs. The reshuffle had a clear imprint of Rahul Gandhi in handing over Ajay Maken the state leadership in Delhi, Ashok Chavan in Maharashtra, Ghulam Ahmed Mir in Jammu & Kashmir, Bharatsinh Solanki in Gujarat and Uttam Kumar Reddy in Telangana.

The Congress high command took the decision to hand over the mantle of the TPCC to Uttam Reddy despite strong opposition from senior Congress leaders. The new TPCC chief, who will be meeting Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday to thank her for reposing faith in him, would assume charge on March 6.

Another senior leader and CLP deputy leader M Bhatti Vikramarka will be the TPCC working president. Party senior leaders -- K Jana Reddy, Mohd Ali Shabbir, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, G Sukhender Reddy , DK Aruna, KR Suresh Reddy, T Jeevan Reddy and Renuka Choudary were among those who strongly opposed to the elevation of Uttam and Vikramarka as party heads.

Sources said that the senior leaders met the AICC general secretary and Telangana party in-charge Digvijay Singh in New Delhi on Sunday night and objected to giving such important posts to junior leaders. It is learnt that Jana Reddy threatened to quit the Congress if the party did not withdraw its decision.

Digvijay Singh told them that the decision to effect the change had already been made by Sonia Gandhi and hence there was nothing he could do. He advised them to meet Sonia on Monday and explain their case to her. These leaders called on Sonia Gandhi in Parliament House on Monday but she told them to put all differences on backburner and work for strengthening the party, sources in Delhi said.

Sonia Gandhi is learnt to have expressed her anguish and concern over the party leaders from Telangana failing to effectively take on the TRS government on various issues, including farmers’ issues. She advised the party leaders to firmly stand by the people in taking up their causes with the Telangana Government. Political circles here claim that the Congress High Command, as part of its exercise of revamping and rejuvenating the party in Telangana State, might replace K Jana Reddy as Leader of the Opposition and appoint a stronger leader in his place who can effectively take on the ruling TRS in the State Legislative Assembly.

But there has been no confirmation. Talking to media after the announcement, Uttam Kumar Reddy said there are many issues that had surfaced now like shifting of the chest hospital, relocating the Secretariat, move to auction government lands etc, which can be converted into an opportunity to put the ruling TRS in the firing range in the Assembly.

He said the Congress will mobilise people and would launch agitations against failure of TRS government in fulfilling the promises it had made before and after the polls. He said that services of all senior leaders, including Jana Reddy would be utilised to strengthen the party in Telangana. Uttam hinted that while the state team would be a combination of young and seniors, some senior leaders would be given AICC posts soon.