Bhatti’s tour exposes internal issues between Vivek, Premsagar Rao

It is learnt that Rao persuaded Vikramarka to cancel his tour to Chennur Assembly constituency, further fueling the differences.

Mancherial: The internal bickering in the Congress party came to fore during Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka’s tour to the district on Saturday.

Vikramarka was scheduled to inaugurate a 11 MW solar power plant belonging to Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) on the outskirts of Chennur and to visit a thermal power plant of the coal major in Jaipur mandal centre on Saturday. His tour was reportedly cancelled due to heavy rains that lashed Khammam district.

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However, the deputy Chief Minister’s proposed tour exposed the internal issues between Chennur MLA Dr G Vivek and his counterpart from Mancherial, K Premsagar Rao. Vivek expressed his anger against Rao for putting up life-size flex posters of Bhatti Vikramarka in Chennur using photographs of the Mancherial legislator. Upset by Rao’s act, Vivek along with his son and Peddapalli MP Vamshi Kirshna left the stage while Vikramarka was attending an event in Ramagundam.

It is learnt that Rao persuaded Vikramarka to cancel his tour to Chennur Assembly constituency, further fueling the differences. Vivek lodged a complaint against Premsagar Rao with AICC president Mallikharjuna Kharge for intentionally cancelling the deputy Chief Minister’s tour to Chennur segment.

Meanwhile, IT Minister D Sridhar Babu remarked that services of Premsagar Rao would be recognized. He said key responsibilities would be assigned to Rao. The top leadership and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy are aware of Rao’s strengths, Sridhar said while addressing a gathering in Peddapalli.

These remarks also widened the gap between Vivek and Rao, both of whom were vying for a berth in the State cabinet.