Rahul Gandhi assures Jangaon to Ponnala Lakshmiah

​New Delhi/ Hyderabad: The Congress continued to grapple with problems that are testing the strength of grand alliance for Telangana with the leaders of the grand-old party seeking allotment of seats to them which had gone to TJS and TDP as part of the alliance. Former Minister and former PCC president Ponnala Lakshmiah and MLC Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy chanced upon meeting party supremo Rahul Gandhi at Delhi where both the leaders poured out their grief.

Ponnala told the party supremo that as part of the alliance, his seat Jangaon had been allotted to TJS, though he had been representing it for more than 35 years while Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy said he was also ill at ease over Khammam on which he had set his eyes on, being allotted to TDP.

Rahul Gandhi assured Sudhakar Reddy that he would take care of him while at the same time he asked him to intercede with Prof M Kodandaram on Jangaon from which Ponnala wants to contest. 

Rahul Gandhi promised Ponnala that he would resolve the issue in his favour. In fact, Kodandaram wanted to contest from Jangoan after it was allotted to TJS. In all likelihood, Rahul Gandhi might resolve the issues relating to seven assembly seats which had been kept on hold with alliance partners too seeking them, by 
Friday.

Meanwhile, the Congress leaders had to grapple with another crisis with Ranga Reddy DCC president and Ibrahimpatnam ticket aspirant Kyama Mallesh accusing AICC leader Bhakta Charan Das' son Sagar of demanding Rs 3 crore for allotting the ticket to him. He alleged that Bhakta Charan Das family was running tickets’ business by camping in big hotels in Hyderabad and TPCC leadership was also extending co-operation to them.

Addressing media persons on Thursday in Hyderabad, Mallesh alleged that Sagar sent some loyalists to his home and demanded Rs 3 crore. He further added that he recorded the entire conversation and shown it to RC Khuntia and Uttam Kumar Reddy and sought their intervention. However, Bhakta Charan Das got a wind of this and threatened me, Mallesh said. 

Kyama Mallesh said that he remained loyal to Congress for 35 years, but in the end, he was deceived by Uttam and TPCC. Mallesh alleged that Congress did injustice to Kurmas and Yadavas in the selection of candidates. Malkajgiri, Ibrahimpatnam and Serilingampally seats where BC leaders were aspirants were sacrificed for other parties, he said.

However, Telangana party in-charge R C Khuntia, at Delhi, refused to react to the reports of monetary demands by Bhakta Charan Das's son from the aspirants of Congress tickets. Asked whether he would like to comment on the tapes purportedly showing him demanding money in Telugu media, he said: "I have not come across those. If any, you better ask Bhakta Charan Das himself. He would be the right person to react to those".

Khuntia was deputed by AICC president Rahul Gandhi to pacify protesters who have gone on dharnas and hunger strikes in Delhi on Thursday over denial of tickets to BCs/OBCs. Khuntia drove down to the Telangana Bhavan to talk to Shaik Ali, sarpanch of Shamshabad, who had undertaken an indefinite fast at the Ambedkar statue in the Bhavan premise and spoke to him at length to remain patient.

 He explained to him the coalition dharma which had forced Rahul Gandhi to give up certain seats to the allies despite there being a great demand from Congress leaders. He explained to him and others at the venue of hunger strike that Congress had no intention to suppress the backward and other backward classes. He offered him fruit juice promising him due recognition by the party for his services in future.

Later, on being told that OBC leader, Chittaranjan Das had also gone on an indefinite fast shutting himself in a room in the Bhavan, he went there too to explain him the ground realities. He spoke to Das for about 20 minutes to convince him to give up his fast.Later, he went to Banda Kartika Reddy, former Mayor of Hyderabad, who had staged a sit in dharna near Rahul Gandhi's residence and persuaded her to call off her protest.

Khuntia said that it was wrong to presume that the party was indifferent to the demands of the BCs and others. In fact, compared to the TRS, Congress had allotted more tickets to BCs in Telangana so far. It was also wrong to suggest that BCs and OBCs were being denied tickets or important posts in the party. 

Demands were increasing because the BCs and OBCs had only empowered themselves over a period and had become strong contenders in every field. There were more such leaders now competing in every segment and hence the problem in choosing the candidates. He further added that the Congress was the only party which accommodated weaker sections in every echelon of the party over the last 60 years.