The Hindu : Front Page : Row over Purandareswari's induction

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 01, 2006

Front Page

Front Page

Row over Purandareswari's induction

Special Correspondent

Disgruntled Congress leaders meet Sonia Gandhi and Digvijay Singh

Rayapati Sambasiva Rao

NEW DELHI: The brewing resentment over representation from Andhra Pradesh in the Union Cabinet was conveyed to the party leadership with several State leaders expressing their candid views over their claim being ignored.

Guntur MP Rayapati Sambasiva Rao met Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday and expressed disappointment that party workers who had struggled and fought the Telugu Desam Party were ignored in the expansion.

Eluru MP K. Sambasiva Rao, who met AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh, also expressed similar views.

`Workers upset'

Besides being ignored, despite their long years in the party the other grievance was that newcomers and `outsiders,' including Daggubati Purandareswari, were accommodated.

These leaders are understood to have told the party high command that workers were upset that their leaders' claims were ignored.

The fact that Ms. Purandareswari, daughter of the TDP founder N.T. Rama Rao, has been preferred has not gone down well with a section of party MPs, who feel that having fought the TDP and its ideology it will be difficult to convince party workers to explain her induction.

"Since 1983 when NTR founded the party, we have been fighting him and his policies.

Party workers were harassed and as the area Congress representative I had challenged him. We stood for the Congress against the TDP, now with what face can we ask our workers to take up cudgels,'' Mr. Sambasiva Rao said.

It is understood that Mr. Digvijay Singh assured he would convey the sentiments expressed by the MPs to Ms. Gandhi.

`Neglect' of BCs

Another section has been vocal that no backward classes leaders found a place in the Union Council of Ministers. Apparently, the view was also conveyed by State Minister D. Srinivas, who met Mr. Digvijay Singh here.

On his part, Mr. Digvijay Singh said Cabinet formation was the prerogative of the Prime Minister and in every reshuffle the vacancies were less as compared to the number of aspirants.

He said the exercise involves striking a balance between political and regional basis plus the talent available.

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