Be it temporary or long term… ‘Maun’ of ministerial aspirants gives CM Revanth a breather

Hyderabad: One obvious outcome of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee leadership’s meeting with the All India Congress Committee’s high command in New Delhi during the culmination of l'affaire former minister Konda Surekha is that all ministerial aspirants, including those who were vocal and unapologetic, have calmed down with saintly resignation.

This has surely given Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy a breather. But the larger question is: How long will the ministerial aspirants in the Telangana Congress maintain this remotely tracked silence?

These days, leaders such as Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy, Malreddy Ranga Reddy, Kokkirala Premsagar Rao and several other ministerial aspirants, who had earlier targeted the Chief Minister or the party either directly or indirectly, refrain from making open criticism. Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy, considered the most serious ministerial aspirant, appears to have called a sort of truce with Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. What if the truce is uneasy? In any case, his criticism of the Chief Minister has noticeably reduced.

At a public meeting held at Nakrekal, Rajgopal Reddy in fact honoured Revanth Reddy with a shawl, saying he did so, following the Chief Minister’s assurance that the Dindi project would be completed.

Incidentally, Rajgopal Reddy put the record straight after some people questioned whether he had honoured the Chief Minister in the hope of securing a ministerial position. Further, he said that the decision to appoint him as a Minister was not in the Chief Minister’s hands. The party high command, he said, would take the final decision on whether he would be given a ministerial position.

Rajgopal Reddy said he had appealed to the Chief Minister to complete the Dindi project at the earliest, as it would provide irrigation water to the Munugode Assembly constituency.

A Telangana Congress leader told ‘The Hans India’ that the party high command appears to have succeeded in putting down dissent within the state unit. He said that not only Rajgopal Reddy, but also Konda Surekha, who lost her ministerial position, had recently been referring to the “party high command”, instead of criticising the Chief Minister or other party leaders.

“I don’t know what the party high command assured them. But both firebrand leaders - Rajgopal Reddy and Konda Surekha - are maintaining silence,” he observed, pointing out that other ministerial aspirants also went silent. It may be recalled that Rajgopal Reddy became relatively quiet after meeting Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi. Since then, he has not only refrained from criticism but has also stated that the “party high command” would take care of his concerns.

Rajgopal Reddy has said that his primary objective is to work for the Congress party and help Rahul Gandhi become the Prime Minister of the country. Similarly, Konda Surekha and her husband Konda Murali have indicated that they are looking towards the party high command for their political future.

Konda Surekha has said that Delhi leaders spoke to her and assured her that “suitable positions” would be considered for both her and her husband. Konda Murali, meanwhile, has stated that his objective is to work towards making Rahul Gandhi the Prime Minister of the country. Lesser disgruntled leaders too have got the message in retail that the high command is the ultimate arbiter of their political destiny

Another Congress leader, however, wondered whether the ministerial aspirants would maintain their silence in the long term. “I do not know whether this silence will continue or is merely temporary. In any case, the Chief Minister has got an opportunity to focus on other issues. Now, there are no indications from the party high command of a Cabinet expansion or reshuffle in the near future,” the leader said.

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Venkateshwarlu Kolishetty

Venkateshwarlu Kolishetty