15 ministers stay away from Cong seniors meet

With majority of the Ministers staying away, the Congress leaders meet held at Gandhi Bhavan, the state party headquarters in Hyderabad, today witnessed noisy scenes with party seniors questioning the “unilateral attitude” of Chief Minister N Kirankumar Reddy in taking policy decisions and the lack of coordination among the leaders and the cadre as well.

Alleging that Kirankumar Reddy  is taking important decisions on his own and without consulting the party seniors, majority of the leaders are understood to have expressed serious concern over the possible impact of these policy decisions on the party’s prospects in the coming elections. The latest announcements on cap on LPG cylinders and the ongoing exercise to fill the nominated posts in the State are believed to have dominated the discussions.
Rajya Sabha member V Hanmanth Rao, MLC Ponguleti Sudhaker Reddy reportedly voiced their anger at the Chief Minister for making these announcements without consulting any leaders. According to reliable sources, V Hanmanth Rao was particularly unhappy at the slow pace in which the process of nominated posts is going on. He wanted the posts to be filled with committed Congress workers who are loyal to the party and have been waiting for long to serve the Congress in some position or the other.
He also pointed out the reported ‘imbalance’ being maintained in filing up these posts and squarely blamed the Chief Minister for this. The MP also wanted immediate steps to be taken to fill all the nominated posts, instead of some selective ones, so that justice will be done for all those who have been eagerly waiting since long.
MLC Ponguleti Sudhaker Reddy is stated to have asked the Chief Minister to amend the recent decision on supply of subsidized LPG cylinders only to Deepam beneficiaries. Pointing out Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s directive to all the Congress-ruled States to take measures to supply nine LPG cylinders on subsidy for all the consumers, the MLC reportedly asked Kirankumar Reddy not to violate the directives of the Congress president and take immediate measures to effectively implement her orders.
Supplying nine subsidized cylinders to only Deepam beneficiaries will adversely affect the Congress across the State, the leaders reportedly told the Chief Minister.
Leaders like former PCC chief Narsa Reddy felt an immediate need to bring coordination between those who are leading the Government and those who are at the helm of affairs in the party. “Unless this is done on a warfooting, the Congress will take a back seat in the next elections whenever they are held,” Narsa Reddy felt.
The contentious separate Telangana demand too prominently figured in the meet. Without the Delhi leadership of the Congress making an announcement on the Telangana demand it will be difficult for the party cadre to take up enrolment drive, majority of the leaders from the region are understood to have made it clear.
What is significant is that almost all the leaders are unanimous in their opinion that the Congress position in the State is deteriorating with every passing day. “Urgent corrective steps need to be initiated to save the party from further degradation,” the leaders felt.
At least 15 ministers and some former ministers stayed away from the meeting, convened to discuss steps to be taken for strengthening the Congress in the State. The absence of the ministers, including some seniors, was debated predominantly in the meet but ironically those present could not find any solution to the problem.

-Sakshipost