What put the state Congress in an embarrassing position was a reported confrontation in Delhi, where state minister C Damodar Raja Narasimha and Jukkal MLA T Laxmi Kantha Rao engaged in a heated verbal confrontation at a hotel in full public view. Telangana’s ruling Congress is facing a series of internal and very public disagreements, with ministers, MPs and MLAs increasingly getting vocal against their own party colleagues. Both were heard issuing threats to each other and making accusations.
The disagreement surfaced at the breakfast table over the appointment of Sangareddy District Congress Committee president and other organisational positions. With disagreements spanning organisational appointments, political protocol and development funding, the Congress in Telangana faces the challenge of containing public dissent within its own ranks. He said Rs 300 crore would be sufficient to transform his constituency and claimed he was forced to fight for funds like an Opposition MLA. Adding to the Congress government’s political challenges, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister Revanth Reddy during his November 2 Hyderabad rally.
“Is Uttam Kumar Reddy the Irrigation Minister for Huzurnagar or for the entire Telangana?” he asked, alleging that Munugode was being neglected while funds were being directed towards Huzurnagar and Kodad. “Will the government respond only after my death?” he asked, urging Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy to release funds and complete pending road works. Accusing the state government of corruption and failing to fulfill its electoral promises, Shah alleged that Telangana had been turned into an “ATM for Congress leaders sitting in Delhi”. He also coined the phrase “RR Tax”, alleging that money was being collected in the name of Rahul Gandhi through Revanth Reddy.
