Kancha Gachibowli issue triggers difference of opinion among Congress leaders

Deployment of bulldozers, felling of trees, students protests and arrests and criticism from all quarters, all these factors had left the leaders on the backfoot, says a senior party leader

Hyderabad: Apart from setting off criticism at the national level, the row over Kancha Gachibowli appears to have triggered difference of opinion among Ministers and Congress leaders in the State. Ever since the controversy surrounding the Kancha Gachibowli lands hit headlines, save for a few Ministers, others are maintaining a strategic and visible silence over the issue.

Such is the gravity of the situation that the Congress high command had to interfere and initiate damage control mechanism. AICC Telangana in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan has already interacted with the three-Minister committee constituted by the State government at the Secretariat. She also held meetings with students unions, teachers union and representatives of different public organizations. The State government has been trying to sweep things under the carpet but in the wake of the Supreme Court orders to stop activities on the contentious lands until further orders, it has suffered a severe setback.

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Amidst all these developments, though a few Ministers, including Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, IT Minister D Srishar Babu and Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy have been indulging in counter-fighting exercise, others seem to prefer to stay away from the issue.

“The entire Kancha Gachibowli controversy turned out to be a bitter pill for many to swallow. There are a few differences of opinion among Ministers and leaders over the issue, especially the way things are being handled,” a senior leader from Gandhi Bhavan said.

Deployment of bulldozers, felling of trees, students protests and arrests and criticism from all quarters, all these factors had left the leaders on the backfoot, the senior leader stressed.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had announced the constitution of the three-Minister committee into the issue. However, the absence of Forest Minister Konda Surekha from the committee has raised eyebrows among the leaders as the entire controversy was over forest lands and destruction of rich biodiversity. A few observe that the move to constitute the three-Minister committee was a measure to push the ball into the committee’s court. In case of any untoward development over the issue, the committee would be at the centre of criticism, another leader observed.

The Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and a few Ministers and leaders are expected to attend the Congress Working Committee meeting scheduled on Tuesday and Wednesday at Ahmedabad.

“There is every possibility of the Kancha Gachibowli issue being discussed at the meeting. The high command is likely to seek updates on the issue,” the leader stressed.