Congress high command rules out change of PCC leadership in Telangana

While ruling out the possibility of making any changes in the PCC leadership for now, the AICC emissary, however, promised the seniors that the high command would seriously look into their complaints against the style of functioning of the PCC chief and remove all the irritants

Hyderabad

Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and senior AICC leader Digvijay Singh was deputed by the high command to resolve the crisis in the Telangana Congress. (PTI)

The Congress high command has refused to entertain the demand of the senior party leaders in Telangana for a change of guard in the Pradesh Congress Committee at least for now, a party leader privy to the development said.

Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and senior AICC leader Digvijay Singh, who had been deputed by the high command to resolve the crisis in the Telangana Congress, told the seniors that there was no plan to remove PCC chief A Revanth Reddy or AICC in-charge of Telangana Manickam Tagore.

Singh, who landed in Hyderabad on Wednesday, held marathon meetings in the last two days with senior party leaders who have called themselves “original Congressmen” and the supporters of Revanth Reddy whom the seniors described as “migrants from other parties.”

While ruling out the possibility of making any changes in the PCC leadership for now, the AICC emissary, however, promised the seniors that the high command would seriously look into their complaints against the style of functioning of the PCC chief and remove all the irritants, including the issues pertaining to the constitution of PCC executive committees.

Singh also listened to the complaints lodged by Revanth Reddy group about lack of cooperation from the seniors for any of the party programmes. He told them to take the seniors’ suggestions into consideration, instead of ignoring them.

Speaking to reporters before returning to Delhi, the AICC leader said all the issues that surfaced in the Telangana PCC were settled. “All settled. No problem,” he said.

He, however, refused to make any comment on the demand of the senior party leaders for the replacement of Revanth Reddy and Manickam Tagore. “That is not my brief,” he said.

He said it was essential that all the party leaders and workers work together and that there cannot be groups like seniors or juniors. He reminded that he had become Madhya Pradesh PCC chief at a very young age, though there were towering personalities in the party in the state. “Yet, I had no issues and I went on to become the chief minister,” he said.

Even in combined Andhra Pradesh, late YS Rajashekhar Reddy had also been made the PCC chief though he was junior to many leaders. “YSR did well as the state party president and later became the chief minister,” he said.

He appealed to the party leaders to bury the hatchet and work together to bring the party back to power in Telangana. “If you have any differences with one another, you are free to approach the party high command. I am making this plea with folded hands,” Singh said.