Old Congress leaders upset over dominance of newcomers in Kothagudem DCC

Discontent is brewing within the Kothagudem Congress unit after 73 members were appointed to the district committee, with senior leaders alleging preference to newcomers. Some have threatened to quit, claiming party norms on seniority were ignored in appointments.

Kothagudem: The old timers in Kothagudem district Congress are upset over giving priority to newly joined leaders while some of the senior leaders threaten to quit the party.

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president B Mahesh Kumar Goud in consultation with the DCC president Thota Devi Prasanna recently appointed as many as 73 leaders to the party’s district committee.

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Nine vice presidents, 16 general secretaries, one treasurer, five Spokespersons, 24 secretaries and 18 executive members are in the new committee. These appointments triggered unrest among the senior leaders. While some expressed their dissent confidentially some openly criticised the party leadership for giving preference to the newcomers.
For instance, a former MPTC member Kasanaboina Veerabhadram of Sujatha Nagar mandal voiced his resentment against the party undermining his seniority and making him executive member while giving key positions to the newly joined leaders.

During his interaction with the media he stated that he would not accept the assigned position. He alleged that significant posts within the party have been handed out to individuals lacking any real standing in the party. He threatened that if the injustice done to the seniors is not rectified he would quit the party.
Veerabhadram argued that the PCC rule of at least five years seniority in appointing a leader to the committee has been ignored. Those who joined the Congress from other parties during the last elections and afterwards got key positions such as vice president post, he said.

It is sad that some of those who got appointed to the DCC do not have the party primary membership. The seniors who made efforts to build the party and worked for its victory in the last elections have been set aside, he alleged.
According to the party sources, the entire controversy stemmed from the fact that over one-third of the 73 newly appointed office bearers are newcomers, most of them followers of Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy.