Telangana Congress leaders fight to save party from RSS

Save Congress from RSS demand escalated in the wake of priority being accorded in issuing tickets to ‘parachute’ leaders, neglecting loyal leaders of the party

Hyderabad: Many Congress leaders in Telangana are worried over the communalisation of the party’s State unit and the demand to save the Congress from the RSS is reverberating across different district units.

The demand escalated in the wake of priority being accorded in issuing tickets to ‘parachute’ leaders, neglecting loyal leaders of the Congress. After the Minorities wing of the party expressed concerns over the side-lining of Muslim leaders in the party, the Adilabad district unit organized a meeting called “Save Congress from RSS” to discuss the conspiracies. Addressing the gathering, PCC General Secretary G Sujatha said the State leadership was betraying loyal Congress leaders. Forget about allotting tickets to contest elections, the State leadership was not even bothered about local leaders and their aspirations, she said.

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The Adilabad district unit had appealed to the State leadership to allot the Adilabad ticket to Sujatha, Sajid Khan or Sanjeev Reddy. But the party allotted the ticket to Kandi Srinivas Reddy, who had RSS roots. Irked over the party’s decision, the Adilabad unit leaders have been protesting, staging demonstrations and are also contemplating different options.

Adilabad District Congress Committee (DCC) president Sajid Khan said the State leadership was not taking local leaders into confidence. Citing the examples of Asifabad candidate Ajmeera Shyam and Mudhole candidate Narayan Rao Patil, he said tickets were issued to those who joined the Congress recently.

“If this trend continues even during the MPTC elections, tickets will be issued to BJP leaders or those who offer huge amounts,” Sajid Khan warned the party workers.

The Adilabad unit’s concern is not an isolated case. TPCC Minorities department chairman Shaik Abdullah Sohail had said TPCC president A Revanth Reddy, due to his RSS roots, was targeting the Muslim leadership in the party. He pitted Muslim leaders against each other and made them lose their relevance and grip in the party. Save for Iftar parties, the TPCC president did not participate in minority specific programmes, Sohail said in a letter to AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge while resigning from the party.

“Of the 33 districts in Telangana, only three Muslim leaders are made DCC presidents, including the one in Hyderabad. Bahadurpura, Chandrayangutta and Yakutpura tickets are allotted to non-Muslims while these constituencies have over 70 percent Muslim voters,” Sohail said.