The Hindu : Dissidence reaches boiling point in Congress

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 31, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Dissidence reaches boiling point in Congress

By Dasu Kesava Rao

HYDERABAD, MARCH 30 . Dissidence in the Congress in Andhra Pradesh reached a boiling point today when a number of senior leaders announced their decision to resign from the party, protesting against the seat-sharing agreement with the Telangana Rashtra Samiti and alleged manipulation by the PCC leadership in the selection of candidates.

The party faced revolt in Mahbubnagar, Medak, Hyderabad, Warangal and Nalgonda districts. In Mahbubnagar district, where the TRS was given six Assembly and the Nagar-Kurnool Lok Sabha seats, Mallu Ravi, APCC general secretary, the DCC president, S. Jagdeeshwar Reddy, the former Minister, D.K. Samarasimha Reddy, his brother, D.K. Bharatsimha Reddy, and his wife, D.K. Aruna, have resigned. Mr. Ravi is planning to contest the Nagar-Kurnool Lok Sabha seat as an independent. Many of the leaders have decided to contest as Samajwadi Party nominees.

In Medak district, local leaders met at the residence of the veteran Congress leader, M. Baga Reddy, to contest all the seats in the district as independents. A number of former Ministers, K. Keshav Rao, K. Ram Reddy, P. Goverdhan Reddy and the former secretary of the CLP, M. Kodanda Reddy, have resigned even as Gade Venkata Reddy (from Prakasam district) is also reportedly contemplating to follow suit.

D. Nagender, the lone Congress member from Hyderabad in the 11th Assembly, who was named to contest the Secunderabad Lok Sabha seat, declined accept the offer and instead decided to contest Asifnagar Assembly seat, which he had represented.

There were widespread protests from those who had been denied the ticket. The former MLA of Gajapatinagaram, T. Appala Naidu, whose name figured in the first list of the party, today found it had gone to Botsa Jhansi, wife of the former MP, B. Satyanarayana. He vowed to work for her defeat.

He said Mr. Satyanarayana was bent upon establishing his family's clout over district politics and hence had worked `against his interest'. Recalling the denial of ticket to Mr. Jaganmohan Rao, for the Bobbili Assembly segment, he said `credit' in his case too should go to Mr. Satyanarayana.

Mr. Appala Naidu lashed out at the APCC leadership for succumbing to the pressure of `money bags' in the party, and accused Mr. Satyanarayana of being hand in glove with the TDP president, N. Chandrababu Naidu. Another irritant for several party leaders was the choice of Madhu Goud, an NRI, for the Nizamabad Lok Sabha seat.

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