Congress netas doubtful of party’s future in Telangana

Hyderabad: Senior Telangana Congress leaders are despondent about their political future. There is no talk of rejuvenating the party or reflecting on why it has done so badly. Instead, they are searching for alternatives. They have come to the conclusion that the party cannot regain its past glory and cannot defeat the TRS in the next assembly polls.

Heated discussions are going on among senior leaders of the Congress about their future. Some are thinking of following Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal and Sharad Pawar in Maharashtra who broke away in 1998 and 1999 respectively from the Congress to form their own regional parties — the Telangana Rajiv Congress or Telangana Congress party. But the problem is that there is no strong leader like Mamata Banerjee or Sharad Pawar to lead the party.

A senior Congress BC leader, who is close to the party’s high command, said, “If the situation continues like this there is no hope for the Congress. I have to leave the Congress and float a new party in the name of Rajiv Gandhi BC Congress party.”

According to one plan, a new political party should be started in an alliance with the BJP in the assembly elections.

The BJP is also making efforts to emerge as the alternative to the TRS in Telangana. A senior Congress leader said that the BJP has no problem with finance but it has no strong leaders and cadre across the state except in some areas. He said that the BJP alone cannot fight the TRS in the Assembly elections, but if they float a regional party along with the BJP, they can give a good fight to the TRS.

Meanwhile, Congress MP Komatireddy Venkata Reddy says there is no need to worry about the future of the Congress party.  He told this newspaper that once the high command reorganises the Pradesh Congress Commi-ttee, it will pick up.

Interestingly, Mr Komatireddy’s brother and Munugodu MLA, Raja Gopal Reddy, is trying hard to get the TPCC post in place of present chief N. Uttam Kumar Reddy.  

Throwing ideological co-mmitments to the winds, some Congress leaders are planning to join the BJP which requires strong leaders to emerge as an alternative to the ruling TRS.

A senior Congress leader who is thinking of jumping ship said, “If I join the BJP I will definitely get an assembly ticket. Modi ‘hava’ may continue in the next elections also. BJP can spend whatever money is required in the elections. If I continue in the Congress, getting a ticket will be difficult, and if I get the ticket I have to spend money from my pocket.”