Telangana: Congress old timers in Khammam express anger at Tummala Nageswara Rao

They accused the Minister of ignoring minority leaders and expressed anger for his negligent attitude towards senior party workers

Khammam: Old timers in Khammam Congress have expressed serious anger at Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao for his alleged arbitrary and negligent attitude towards senior party workers.

They accused the Minister of ignoring minority leaders. The incident happened at a preparatory meeting held here on Wednesday to discuss measures to strengthen the party organisational structure in Khammam Assembly constituency.

Besides, Minister Nageswara Rao the meeting was attended by the TPCC observer, Warangal West MLA Nayini Rajender Reddy, the party district president Puvvala Durga Prasad, city Congress president Mohammed Javed and others.

It was said that the meeting was presided over by a former corporator Kamartapu Murali by setting aside the city Congress president. Murali, a follower of the Minister Nageswara Rao, joined Congress during the last Assembly elections.

After a brief address by the district president, Nageswara Rao and TPCC observer Rajender Reddy addressed the party cadres. But the city Congress president Javed, who aspired to contest for Khammam Assembly seat, was not given a chance to speak.

This has angered several old timers. A senior leader Chote Baba in a vocal protest entered into arguments with the district president and the observers for neglecting Javed and other senior leaders. He questioned them why Javed was not allowed to speak in the meeting.

‘The Minister comes for the meeting, speaks and leaves the venue, neither the city president nor the AICC members get a chance to speak. It has become a regular practice for the Minister. Being senior leaders we have worked hard to strengthen the party and spent crores of rupees”, he rued.

A video clipping of this incident went viral on social media exposing internal bickering in Khammam Congress. Chote Baba and others reportedly planned to take the matter to the party high command.

Earlier addressing the party workers Rajender Reddy said some leaders were limited to visiting cards. Those who work for the party would get opportunities and the party would support every worker. Allocation of posts would be done by balancing all castes.

Nageswara Rao said that justice should be done to the workers who worked hard to come to power. He maintained that he would never interfere in allocation of posts and it would be done as the party leader Rahul Gandhi wanted.