The Hindu : Congress groups clash

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Dec 20, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Congress groups clash

By Our Staff Reporter

VISAKHAPATNAM DEC. 19. Workers belonging to two groups of the Congress in the district almost came to blows here on Friday. There was commotion in front of the Collectorate for about 20 minutes before order was restored.

This was the first time that the two groups, who have been at loggerheads all these days, clashed in public. Ironically, the incident occurred during the dharna programme organised to ask the Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, to quit on the charge of corruption in the liquor sale.

While the senior party leader, Dronamraju Satyanarayana, is leading one group with his son Srinivasa Rao as president of the City Congress Committee (CCC) and another close associate, Balireddy Satya Rao, member of the dissolved Assembly, as president of the DCC. One time disciple of Mr. Satyanarayana and a former Lok Sabha Member of Anakapalle, Konathala Ramakrishna, is the centre of the other group.

When the APCC gave a call to its district units to stage dharna in front of Collectorates on Friday, both groups decided to conduct the programme on their own. The Dronamraju group, busy with the preparations to celebrate Mr. Satyanarayana's 71st birthday on Friday, took the decision to conduct the programme late last night, while Mr. Ramakrishna gave a separate call for the dharna.

Both groups pitched their tents outside the Collectorate. The Chairperson of the Zilla Parishad, Vanjangi Kantamma, a former MLA of Chintapalli, P. Balaraju, a ZPTC, Kasi Viswanadham Naidu, the INTUC leader, V.J. Vijaya Kumar, and others were sitting in the Konathala tent. The Congress leaders from the city -- the former Mayor and PCC general secretary, S. Hari, the PCC secretary, S. Ranga Raju, a senior leader, Y. Mariadas, the city Youth Congress president, G.V. Raviraju, and presidents of other frontal organisations, went to the CCC tent.

Workers off and on intimidated each other by shouting slogans (in praise of the Congress and denouncing the Telugu Desam and the CM) at a high pitch whenever a leader of the other group was speaking from his or her tent.

While Mr. Srinivasa Rao was speaking, the shouting from the Ramakrishna group tent went to a high pitch and this made the CCC president angry. Then Mr. Ramakrishna came to the Dronamraju group tent with folded hands, which stunned his own group. Mr. Srinivasa Rao took objection to the shouting from the other tent and as Mr. Ramakrishna was trying to pacify, the workers of each groups indulged in heated arguments and there was some jostling. They almost came to blows but the leaders of both groups prevented the situation going out of control. Mr. Hari, Mr. Ranga Raju and others were seen pacifying the workers. Mr. Hari removed the cloth screen separating the two tents.

Still there was some commotion and Mr. Srinivasa Rao at one stage announced the dharna programme would be stopped at that point.

"Only a few days ago we put Bharanikana Rama Rao (president of the urban district TDP) to a lot of trouble (by inviting him to an open debate), but this situation was a unfortunate development. The Press is also watching us. It is better to conclude the dharna,'' he said.

However, Mr. Ramakrishna stayed back and the tempers cooled within minutes and the dharna continued. Mr. Hari, first to address the dharna, said that other speakers would also talk about the issue for which the dharna was being held and would not say anything else. Those who spoke later also stuck to the criticism of Mr. Naidu and the demand for imposition of President's Rule in the State.

The Mayor, Rajana Ramani, joined the dharna just after the commotion ended. Later, Ms. Kanthamma moved from the other tent. Mr. Satya Rao joined the dharna much after the meeting commenced. The dharna ended with the Congress leaders of both groups jointly submitting a memorandum to the Collector.

Later, talking to reporters, leaders of both groups sought to play down the incident. Both insisted that it was a combined programme and the tents were not separate. More tents were erected to accommodate a large number of people, they said.

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