Congress special panel to quell defections

​Hyderabad: Worried over recent departure by few leaders and reports on some more migrations from the party, the Congress has been taking steps to check the exits and take measures to pacify the disgruntled leaders. 

In this regard, the PCC has appointed Consultations Committee with senior leaders to address the problem. The committee will speak to discontented leaders and persuade them to continue in the party. 

The high command’s worry on departures has also forced the party to take measures to curtail them. The Delhi leaders want the State unit to control the damage taken place due to recent exits.

The Committee with six seniors would consist of CLP leaders in Assembly and Council K Jana Reddy and Shabbir Ali, PCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy, two former PCC presidents Ponnala Laxmaiah and V Hanumantha Rao and former deputy chief minister Damodar Raja Narasimha. 

The Committee is also asked to make decisions on the admission of leaders of other parties into the Congress. It would act as the situation demands and would strive to protect the party from poaching. The recent exits of MLC Damodar Reddy and former minister Danam Nagendar have rattled the Congress to the core. These departures have dented the morale of the party workers. 

Sensing the danger, the high command summoned PCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy to Delhi and asked him to take steps to control the situation. He was told to keep the party flock together. 

Sources in the party said that the Consultations Committee would listen to the complaints of discontented leaders and would try to address the issues being raised by them. The Committee would try to accommodate them in party positions or make promises to pacify them. 

A senior leader from the party said that the party suffered two big jolts in the recent past in the hands of the ruling party as it failed to make a timely intervention. The party leaders did not try to convince party MLC Damodar Reddy from leaving the party. 

The party has also delayed addressing the issues being raised by Danam Nagendar to accommodate him in one or other position and to make him comfortable in the party. This has raised doubts among party workers on the crisis management of the PCC. The Congress has doubts that few leaders may also leave the party. With this, the PCC has started taking steps to contain migrations and formed the committee.