Congress infighting intensifies in Karimnagar, conflicts turn common

Internal bickering in the Congress party units in erstwhile Karimnagar is frequently coming to fore. More surprisingly, the District Congress Committee (DCC) and Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) appear to be least bothered about the conflicts that have become quite common

Karimnagar: Internal bickering in the Congress party units in erstwhile Karimnagar is frequently coming to fore. More surprisingly, the District Congress Committee (DCC) and Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) appear to be least bothered about the conflicts that have become quite common, that too on public platforms.

In a recent incident, followers of Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar and Karimnagar constituency in-charge Purumalla Srinivas clashed with each other in the presence of AICC secretary Vishwanathan Perumal. While participating in the party workers meeting held in the DCC office here last week, Srinivas made a comment against Prabhakar without taking his name. He alleged that files being sent to Hyderabad from Karimnagar were being “blocked” in the State capital by some leaders. Stating that no work was being done, he said one to two leaders were destroying the party for their vested interests.

Enraged over this, followers of Prabhakar obstructed his speech and rushed onto the dais, leading to a jostle between the two groups. Some Congress leaders from the district on Friday lodged a complaint against Srinivas with TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud.

It may be recalled here that in January this year, the TPCC’s Disciplinary Action Committee had issued a show cause notice to Srinivas for indulging in anti-party activities. In another such incident that took place in Sircilla on April 29, followers of Sircilla constituency in-charge KK Mahender Reddy obstructed the speech of senior Congress leader Chiti Umesh Rao for making a controversial statement against their leader.

Addressing the meeting, Umesh Rao had said that though there were senior leaders in the party, the Sircilla assembly ticket was given to a leader (Mahender Reddy) who was always losing elections. Angered over this, Mahender Reddy’s followers staged a protest and demanded that Umesh Rao leave the meeting hall.

The conflict between senior Congress leader T Jeevan Reddy and Jagtial MLA Dr Sanjay Kumar is also continuing, with both shooting verbal arrows at each other frequently. The situation in Peddapalli too is similar, with the differences between local MP Vamshi Krishna and MLAs. Vamshi himself made a statement stating that protocol was not being followed in government programmes. There were allegations that Congress leaders themselves had torn his flex posters as well.