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Post-YSR, Andhra Cong falling apart
The Congress has only to blame itself for the mess it finds itself in Andhra Pradesh. Showcased as a model of stability and governance, the Congress-ruled state went into a tailspin after Y.S. Rajashekhara Reddy’s death in a helicopter crash in September.
The Congress has only to blame itself for the mess it finds itself in Andhra Pradesh.
Showcased as a model of stability and governance, the Congress-ruled state went into a tailspin after Y.S. Rajashekhara Reddy’s death in a helicopter crash in September. And the problem was created not by the Opposition or any external factor but by the party leaders.
After YSR’s death, the campaign to make his son Jagan Mohan the chief minister eroded incumbent chief minister K. Rosaiah’s position.
The campaign for a leadership change is still on. Only this time it has been subsumed under the agitation that erupted following Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s announcement on December 9 that it would initiate steps to create a separate Telangana. This brought pro-Telangana and anti-Telangana groups on the streets.
“The issue of bifurcation has created a division among the people,” said a Congress leader who did not want to be named.
Twelve days later, in a bid to restore normalcy, the Centre issued another statement, assuring consultations on the issue.
But it led to more protests, with the pro-Telangana group alleging that it was intended to delay the state formation.
In a bid to mount pressure, ministers in the Rosaiah government faxed their resignation to party president Sonia Gandhi. This further weakened the position of the chief minister, now reduced to a spectator.
With the state government coming to a standstill, first because of the anti-Rosaiah campaign and then due to the Telangana issue, the state Congress is a divided lot.
To add to the party’s woes, came the shocker of a sex scandal involving N.D. Tiwari, a Congress member. An angry leadership forced him to step down as governor. “But it is a lesson to the party to choose its nominees for such posts with care for this is not the first time that Tiwari has figured in controversies involving women,’’ said a leader seeking anonymity.
