Facts behind CM’s Delhi tour

The Congress High Command appears to be more worried that Andhra Pradesh, which remained as its bastion for about a decade, is slipping out of its hands.

Today’s developments emanating from New Delhi reflect the fact that the Congress national leadership is concentrating only to know about the goings-on in the State than focusing on satisfying the disgruntled party elements by filling the nominated posts.

With disturbing reports coming from the State that the Congress will be wiped out of the political scene in the next general elections, the party is understood to be taking some urgent measures on damage control. What with the State unit of the Congress is a divided house, leaders from various groups continue to send conflicting reports on the party’s prospects in the next elections, the High Command is unable to assess the ground situation.Perhaps to hear it right from the horse’s mouth, the national leadership has summoned.
Chief Minister N Kirankumar Reddy and other senior party leaders to Delhi. Though Congress circles here claim that the Chief Minister had gone to the national capital only to obtain a green signal for filling the nominated posts and also to explain to the leadership about the Cabinet reshuffle, sources in Delhi, however, flatly deny this. “Before filling a couple of posts as recently as last month, the Chief Minister has not visited Delhi. Similarly, there is no need for him now to rush here only for the sake of getting the High Command’s nod for this simple exercise,” the sources point out.

They strongly feel that there is something which a Congress party functionary can not see and that is the party’s apprehensions about the possible rout in the coming polls. With the general elections not far away and party general secretary Rahul Gandhi in the race for the prime minister’s chair, the Congress national leadership has already begun counting the arithmetics. Since Andhra Pradesh is a stronghold for the party, with the late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy storming to power twice in a row in the State, the party is now heavily banking on the State. It can now ill-afford to sacrifice a State like AP.

With YSR Congress sweeping all the recent byelections held in different parts of the State and has emerged as a strong force, the Congress has already started formulating a strategy to counter the party. As YSR Congress party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy’s sister Sharmila embarking on a Padayatra from tomorrow, it is certainly a cause of concern for the Congress. What with the party has increased its numbers in the Assembly abnormally within a short span of time and a crowd-puller Sharmila going on a Padayatra, the Congress feels that the death knell is being sounded for the party.

This apart, Telangana struggle has reached its peak and even the ruling party leaders, irrespective of the positions they hold, make open comments that the Congress will be buried in the region if a favorable decision was not taken immediately. This too is worrying the party most. The recent positive signals sent by TRS president K Chandrasekhara Rao could not instill confidence in the Congress leadership at the Centre. Thus, the party leaders have taken stock of the situation in the region from the visiting Chief Minster in Delhi.
Lastly, the walkathon undertaken by TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu also is understood to have figured in the talks the Chief Minister had with several party seniors in Delhi today. Even Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party general secretary Rahul too are understood to have made detailed inquiries about the deep-rooted YSR Congress plans and also the TRS strategy besides the TDP’s proposed moves for the polls.

To sum it up, the Congress High Command is certainly worried about the party’s prospects at the hustings in the coming elections, analysts in Hyderabad feel.

Prasad@Sakshipost