Telangana: Crisis hits Congress amid infighting between ‘loyalists’ and ‘migrants’, 12 leaders quit party posts

The Telangana unit of Congress has plunged into a crisis over a battle between the “original” Congress leaders and “migrants” from the Telugu Desam Party continues to intensify. On Monday, as many as 12 Congress leaders who had joined the party after defecting from the TDP in the past announced their resignations from party posts.

Among the leaders who resigned included Narender Reddy, Seethakka, Vijay Rama Rao, Erra Shekhar, among others. The leaders had joined the Congress from Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP in 2016. 

The development came in response to some senior leaders announcing the launch of the “Save Congress in Telangana” movement to “protect the party” from leaders who came from other parties. While the leaders maintained that their campaign was driven by their concern over the state of affairs in the party, they also alleged that the “migrants” were getting preference in appointments to party posts over “loyalists”.

The leaders had also alleged that a conspiracy was underway to weaken the party by undermining loyal and senior leaders. The senior Congress leaders had also expressed dissatisfaction against Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) Chief, Revanth Reddy.

The 13 leaders who quit party posts also cited in their resignation letter the remarks by Lok Sabha MP Uttam Kumar Reddy where he had alleged that over half of the new KPCC members were leaders formerly with the TDP. The leaders said that the statement had “disappointed” leaders who worked for Congress over the last six years.

The BJP, meanwhile, took a dig at the infighting playing out in the Congress with party leader Tarun Chugh stating that the party has “lost its existence” in the state. 

“With the mass resignation of the 13 Congress MLAs, the party has lost its existence in Telangana. People have understood that voting for KCR (Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao) means giving vote to the ‘B team’ of Congress. We are in Telangana and we will form a good government in the state,” Chugh, who is also the BJP in-charge in Telangana, told IANS.