Congress In No State To Challenge TRS

Y Satyanarayana

Does the Congress really hope that it can wrest power in Telangana? Is it anywhere near that goal? Does the party have the muscle to move forward? Rahul Gandhi, spurred on by his local lieutenants, may want us to believe that it is possible.

The question really comes down to whether the party can take on the ruling TRS at the booth level in constituencies across Telangana. Rahul's bravado, on show at Saroornagar and elsewhere, can take the party only so far. The party lacks the real strength and muscle to move forward and fight the TRS man to man, candidate to candidate. In reality, the Congress in Telangana lacks charismatic leadership.

Also Read:Our Family Rule Better Than Gandhis: KCR

Former minister and MP Sarve Satyanarayana and others may call Rahul Gandhi the future of India. They may brag about the fear they say he strikes in the hearts of KCR and Modi, but they seem twice removed from reality. Do Rahul Gandhi's speeches strike terror in the TRS or BJP camp? Far from it; for the most part he is a source of undying amusement and comes across as a leader who lacks maturity. KCR was bang on target when he said this.

Rahul Gandhi's claim that it was his party which waived loans of farmers in Karnataka may make HD Kumaraswamy Gowda a tad uncomfortable. Similarly, his repeated references to the Rafale deal and his own 'powerful' speech in the Lok Sabha, which silenced Modi to the extent that he could not look him in the eye, were hardly searing. Equally comical, or ironical to say the least, were Rahul’s references to the dynastic rule in Telangana. No wonder, both KCR and KTR tore him to shreds on this. The former questioned his moral right to speak on dynastic rule, while KTR took RaGa to the cleaners on Twitter:

Can anyone in the Congress stand up to the TRS leadership? KCR, with his oratory, his style of governance and his leadership, is streets ahead of all the Congress leaders in the state. He is backed by an equally talismanic heir in KTR, who stands in stark contrast to both Rahul and Lokesh. Then there is Harish Rao, whose organisational skills are proven.

The Congress has sharpened its attack on the ruling TRS, but to put it figuratively, its bark is more intense than its bite. Moreover, it is riddled with internal politics and riven by internecine groupism. Can Uttam Kumar Reddy claim to have all-round acceptance? Very unlikely. It is often said of the Congress here, that it is a party of leaders and not too many workers. That may be slightly hyperbolic, because the party does have a good worker base, but the first part of the statement has a ring of truth. Jana Reddy, Shabbir Ali, Komatireddi Venkat Reddy, D.K. Aruna, Sabita Indra Reddy, Jaipal Reddy and even the relatively new Revanth Reddy—are all leaders and challengers to Uttam Kumar Reddy’s throne.