CM KCR changes tack, wants to rejig party by dangling posts to netas

Hyderabad: The TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, who until now gave priority to MLAs in both the government programmes as well as party activities, has changed his stand and decided to have complete revamp of the party by giving posts to leaders right from village to State level.

The legislators have been supreme in the TRS and they call the shots in a constituency. They only take up government programmes and also party-related activities, like membership drive, distribution of cheques under insurance claims.

However, this supremacy of the MLAs has led to conflicts between the former and present legislators in some constituencies. Often leaders' express unhappiness because except for the State committee, there is no post for them in districts and the MLA has to set right all things. This has also led to lack of emergence of second-rung leaders who could take over responsibilities.

According to sources, the party leaders had requested KCR to go for its restructuring. They have lamented that though they were associated with the party they have no post to show. "When someone asks what our post is, the answer is 'TRS senior leader' and there is no tag like district president, secretary and others," said a TRS leader. The party has a State committee with general secretaries and secretaries.

However, there are no district committees. Now, the ruling party has decided to have committees right from village, mandal, district, town as per the decision taken in the recent State committee meeting. Sources said that this decision was taken in the wake of increased activities by the opposition parties, which have formed committees even dividing districts.

The pink party has decided to complete formation of the committees in September. A committee led by senior leader K Keshava Rao will finalise the dates for forming the committees. Later the party will have training classes for its functionaries. The TRS chief had asked the leaders to counter the opposition allegations in debates and wanted them to locally respond to the accusations. The leaders are hopeful that they will get posts and encouragement from the party in the new committee system.