Natarajan’s direct interference in administrative matters draws ire
The Congress high command seems to be on a self-destructive mode
HYDERABAD: The Congress high command seems to be on a self-destructive mode by overtly and repeatedly undermining the duly-elected Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy-led state Cabinet making the party incharges “super bosses”.
The move, even the Congress leaders admit, has been giving adequate ammunition for the Opposition parties to stoke the “local pride”, a slogan championed by Telugu Desam founder N.T. Rama Rao and uprooted the national party in the 1980s from the combined Andhra Pradesh. It is the same slogan that helped the then TRS (now BRS) form the first government in Telangana state in 2014.
Ignoring the Opposition questioning the role of AICC in-charge of Telangana affairs Meenakshi Natarajan in the ongoing Kancha Gachibowli tussle, she, for the second consecutive time, attended the Group of Ministers (GoM) meeting with the stakeholders at the state Secretariat on Monday. Both the BRS and Union minister of state Bandi Sanjay Kumar came down heavily on the Congress for hurting the local pride by imposing the emissaries from the high command. Sanjay Kumar even termed the Chief Minister as a rubber stamp leaving the state government and the party in an embarrassing situation.
“She (Natarajan) took the initiative and brought the delegation,” one of the GoM members told Deccan Chronicle admitting that her direct participation in official meetings might leave an impression of interference and hurt the party’s image. “It was justified when she called NSUI leaders from the Hyderabad Central University (HCU) and held discussions in Gandhi Bhavan a few days ago. But, she should not have visited the Secretariat and participated in the official meetings,” another minister pointed out.
The Congress central leadership replaced Deepa Das Munshi, who came under criticism for staying back in Telangana and making the local party leadership pay for her extravagant living, with Natarajan. Besides, the opposition parties also accused her of seeking financial favours from the ministers for which she filed a defamation suit against some BJP leaders.
Natarajan, known for her simplicity and toughness, brought a refreshing change by travelling by train and refusing the protocols. She, however, got all the cutouts including that of the Chief Minister and PCC president removed from Gandhi Bhavan. Though she started the review of Lok Sabha segment-wise party affairs, she left halfway and started interfering in administrative matters.
“She sprang a surprise by openly criticising the state government for taking a tough stand against the anti-Musi protesters and preventing social activist Medha Patkar from visiting an activist’s house in the area,” a Congress leader said. “Earlier, stalwarts like Digvijay Singh, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Vayalar Ravi and Veerappa Moily worked as party in-charges and acted with maturity. They never interfered in administrative matters nor took part in official meetings. They restricted themselves to fire-fighting in the party,” he added.
