Can Unity be Telangana Cong’s Strength? Will Party take Karnataka Route to Pacify Warring Leaders?

While the Congress is yet to pick the chief minister in Karnataka, it is to be seen if the high command can repeat any of its winning strategies in Telangana.

One of the biggest achievements for the Congress in Karnataka was managing the rivalry between Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar. Even as they vie for the hot seat now, the grand old party would not have been able to capture the state if they had not calmed the tempers between the two tall leaders.

Infighting has been a major issue in the Telangana Congress. Even though the party vowed to come to power after the thumping victory in the neighbouring state, bringing the warring leaders together is easier said than done.

The quick rise of Telangana Congress President Revanth Reddy, who switched from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and is still considered an outsider, has rubbed many senior leaders the wrong way. Cracks were out in the open last December when former TPCC chief Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged that many Congress members were involved in making derogatory content against senior leaders.

The statement came after police raided an IT war room run by strategist Sunil Kanugolu. Supported by senior leaders like T Jagga Reddy, Damodar Raja Narasimha, M Kodanda Reddy and Madhu Goud Yaskhi, the Nalgonda MP announced that they will soon launch a ‘Save Congress’ campaign. Uttam said that 54 members in the newly formed committees had crossed over from the TDP, and loyalists who had worked for the party for 40 years had been ignored.

While responding to a query on the issue at a media interaction in Hyderabad on Tuesday, Pavan Khera, AICC chairman, media and publicity department, said: “It’s not infighting. It’s a healthy competition. If we don’t compete, we won’t bring out the best in us. There is a process in place. The CLP decides the CM. The same process is being followed in Karnataka too.”

ORIGINAL & MIGRANT CONGRESS LEADERS

The Telangana unit is now split into two groups – original Congress leaders and migrant Congress leaders. The latter is the term used for the ones who defected from the TDP and are considered to be supporters of Reddy.

A senior leader had told News18 that infighting has marred the image of the party.

Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka has openly revolted against Reddy. He, along with other senior leaders, had launched a ‘Save Congress’ movement. He had pointed out how their opinion was not considered while setting up various committees in the state unit.

Bhatti and Reddy have launched two separate padayatras to reach out to the people.

Another tall leader in the party is MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy. His loyalty to the party has been often questioned as his brother is in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). During the Munugode bypoll last year, the influential leader stayed away from campaigning after a spat with Reddy. The TPCC chief had made an objectionable remark against the Komatireddy brothers and apologised. However, the MP still decided to stay away.

Much of the Congress’s prospects in Telangana depend on whether it can bring these warring leaders together. They were successful in doing it in Karnataka by giving equal importance to both the leaders. The faces of Siddaramaiah and DKS were prominent in all campaign material. Just before the elections, they released a video which showed the leaders talking about the campaign and enquiring about each other’s health. These measures helped in gaining the confidence of the public.

Only time will tell if they will be able to pull off a similar feat in Telangana.