Discontent brewing among TRS cadre

Rajendranagar: The abrupt campaigning by MIM President Asad Owaisi for the TRS candidate Ranjit Reddy in Rajendranagar sparked strong discontent among the cadre of pink party and this was literally visible at Thursday's meeting held near Himayatsagar Lake.

Leaders especially from Shastripuram and Sulaimannagar upped their ante against party candidate Ranjith Reddy after he was seen participating in the program organised by the MIM supremo recently in Shastripuram.

The heated debate started soon after the newly appointed party in-charge for Rajendranagar Mir Yousuf Ali announced that the party cadre should take active part in all the areas of campaigning except Shastripuram and Sulaimannagar under Rajendranagar where the MIM party promised to carry out canvassing in favour of TRS.

This made some angry who were heard saying that party leadership was taking decisions without keeping into consideration loyalty and hard work done by the local leaders in both Shastripuram and Sulaimannagar divisions.

"Party candidate Ranjith Reddy attended the programme without taking into consideration the sentiments of local leaders who are working under strenuous circumstances by facing persecution in the hands of MIM but standing with the party with utmost steadfastness and determination. This has made us feel demeaning and humiliating. Now the newly appointed in-charge is himself advising us to keep off the two Muslim majority areas like Shartripuram and Sulaimannagar for MIM as if the party of Old City is a de-facto political fiefdom of the Muslim community," complained Omer Bin Awad, the president of Shastripuram TRS division.

Some others feel that elections are not new to the party and the circumstances whatsoever may change over time, but the party should decide on the strategies keeping in mind the political sensibilities of local leaders. "Merely deciding the policies by taking one or two factors into consideration would only lead to discontent among the party leaders," said Mohammed Zaheeruddin, a senior party leader from Sulaiman Nagar.

During the meeting, one of the party leaders was heard saying "flawed approach and demeaning attitude of the leadership would only harm the party as the local leaders would be forced to work for Congress candidate Konda Vishweshwar Reddy instead of TRS candidate in the elections."

People of Rajendranagar constituency gave their mandate only on account of welfare schemes launched by CM KCR. One should always keep in mind that MIM has made three ferocious attempts to win the seat from Rajendranagar in the past but it only got a raw deal with people reposing their faith every time in the leadership of T Prakash Goud who is presently representing the constituency and made a hat-trick by winning the election held recently," bemoaned another leader from the same area under Rajendranagar. When contacted, the newly appointed party in-charge for Chevella Lok Sabha constituency, Mir Yousuf Ali, ruled out any discontent brewing up in the party with regard to Shastripuram and Sulaimannagar divisions, saying that "there is no discontent among the leaders and whatever happened is a routine affair and has been resolved amicably."