Congress and its Inherent Infighting “Standard”

- D Vishnumohan Rao

Besides change of names and faces, nothing had really changed in this party. It is ‘maintaining’ all its ‘standard’ qualities intact right from day one of post Indian independence period. All through these years, it is only one term and brass tag. Power, is the open secret for the Congress activists’ infighting. The squabbling was earlier restricted to four walls of the party offices. Then, it gradually spread out close to the compound walls and now it is very much open on to the streets.

By God! It is all the “democracy” in nature of the Congress party that struck deep and is showing impact on the activists.

Groupism, maintaining coteries, pulling down others and tarnishing the rival groups and their leaders’ images. WOW! How good they are in tumbling their own party balances. With God Fathers having seated comfortably high above, there are umpteen circumstances citing junior most leaders surpassing the senior most leaders to clinch the nomination positions. Amid all this drama, the Congress ‘stamp’ in the hearts of hardcore and staunch Congress’men’ is fading away out of agony. This agony may or may not be for not getting elevated on the staircase.

The situation is much worse in the state of Andhra Pradesh with the party and its men. The statements of the state unit chief are directly adding fuel to the already burning material. Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president M Satyanarayana Rao says, “Dissatisfaction and dissidence are two ingredients of every party. The dosage of these elements in Congress is naturally on the higher scale. This is because democracy flourishes in Congress. It is a common phenomenon —as we cannot accommodate every party worker into the committee— that they are on the either dissatisfied or dissident side.”

It is up to the party high command to verify the statement and decide whether the comment was apt to the situation or not.

Critics evaluate this as a provoking comment for the neutrals to either join the already existing dissidence groups or float new one afresh. The recent happenings in the state unit, including those like appointment of heads to various Congress committees are definitely to become a thorn in the feet if the party wished to accelerate its pace and get into people.

How fair is Delhi’s intervention into district heads appointments?

Many state leaders heavily came down on the high command of the party for taking up the appointment of district level Congress Committee heads. There was a high pitch reaction for the act of the high command. Some alleged that it was the inability of the PCC president M Satyanarayana Rao, while others levelled charges that all the positions were catered to the henchmen of the president. The furore was higher in the issues of East Godavari, Krishna, and Visakhapatnam district committee presidents’ appointments.

Visakhapatnam senior leader Dronamraju Satyanarayana voiced his dissatisfaction in the open. He said that it was unfortunate and uncommendable that persons like him that had devoted all their life for the development of the party in the district were not even consulted while appointing the district committee president. A similar resentment was seen in East Godavari and Krishna districts too.

The reason behind the reactions of the senior leaders was said to be the involvement of district committee presidents in allotment of tickets for the assembly and parliament elections that would be held from time to time.

Dr YS Says Neither 'Yes' nor 'No' on Telangana Legislators Forum

About 40 legislators belonging to the Congress party recently floated “Telangana Congress Legislators’ Forum.” The talks in the air among the party circles and around the CLP are about the silent spectatorship of the Opposition leader Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy. By constitution of the Congress party, leader of the party in the House can recommend for disciplinary action against the erring and troubling members, working against the interests of the party. The party high command clarified that it was not interested in supporting the Telangana movement in Andhra Pradesh. However, the legislators raised their forum flag against the wishes of the party.

A discussion is also going in the lobbies that more than half of the forum members belong to the Dr YS coterie. This is the secret, according to them, that is holding the opposition leader from saying either yes or no in favour of the forum.

MSR Shouts Loud, “Strict Action Against Erring Members of the Party”

PCC President M Satyanarayana Rao responding to a query about his stand on the Telangana Congress Legislators Forum and its activities like organising public meetings and conventions, said, he is committed to take stringent disciplinary action against the leaders and cadres including the legislators who were going against the principles of the party. Behind the curtain play for such response from the PCC President said that the high command advised him to initiate action against those erring personalities. It is also heard that the senior leaders who had demanded for a separate PCC for Telangana region are the driving force behind the forum.

Whirlwind Over Youth Congress President’s Appointment

Recently Venkatrao was appointed as President for the state unit of Youth Congress. Immediately, there was a voice in the press by one of the secretaries against the appointment. Though not surprisingly, the voice said that Venkatrao was having a criminal background and this would reflect on the reputation of the Youth Congress. The secretary demanded for immediate removal of Venkatrao from the position. This was the demand hardly 24 hours from his appointment as president.

The explanation from the secretary was that all the previous presidents were having clean image and the trend should continue. A warning was also delivered that agitation would be launched if Venkatrao were not removed. Though senior leaders of the Congress were not seen on the screen, it is believed that some leaders were instrumental in instigating a dissident group.

Challenges for CLP and PCC Leaders

The position of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) and Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) is a tightrope walk. For the CLP leader the Telangana Congress Legislators Forum is blowing hot while some senior and junior leaders in the Congress party are creating vibrations down the PCC president’s spine with dissidence.

Two years is not too long a period. For general elections for the state assembly and parliament, on the cards by the end of next two years, if no extreme happening takes place. The leaders who should co-operate with each and improve the drastically drowning image of the Congress from going further into the dumps are on the contrary busy in slinging mud on each other.

If this trend continues and the leaders exhibit their inherited ‘standard’, one need not puzzle if the elected representatives (By God! By any chance if they get majority) resort to fight hand-to-hand claiming berths in the state or central cabinet.

-- Translated by SVL Narasimha Swamy

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