'RRR' factor jolts Congress

Hyderabad: At a time when the state Congress was trying to rake up sentiments at a public meeting in Munugodu on Friday explaining how the Centre was humiliating Sonia Gandhi, the grand-old party received a major jolt as AICC official spokesman Dasoju Sravan raised a banner of revolt against state president A Revanth Reddy and quit the party.

Analysts feel that it is the RRR factor, Rahul, Revanth combination that has led to Revolt in the party. Within the party, leaders like Sravan and Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy feel that Rahul Gandhi was not able to set the TPCC in order. "Revanth Reddy was converting sober Congress into robber Congress," they feel.

Amidst this scenario, Congress MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah triggering speculation that he would be following his brother Rajagopal Reddy.

Both Sravan and Rajagopal Reddy had branded Revanth as a 'mafia leader'.

Sravan alleged that ever since Revanth Reddy became the TPCC president, he was encouraging caste-based politics and was treating the BCs, SCs and STs as slaves.

Revanth Reddy, he said, was running a "cheer gang' in the party and demoralised the leaders who were striving hard to strengthen the congress." This is no way of building a party. Revanth, Sravan said, promotes people in every constituency for financial gains. No party in the country has ever grown to power like this. Revanth deals with TPCC as if it was a franchise, and treats other sections as beggars, he said.

Congress, according to Sravan, was not progressing. Because of Revanth Reddy's insincerity and lack of dedication, the party has been steadily worsening. "We have tried our best to strengthen it, but our efforts are being suffocated," he said.

He further said that Revanth was being aided by AICC leaders who were appointed as in-charges of the state.

Though he had brought several issues that were weakening the Congress in the state, neither Rahul pulled him up nor did any of the state in-charges cautioned him. He said state in-charge Manickam Tagore and party strategist K Sunil colluded with Revanth and destabilised the Congress in Telangana. He said he had very high regard for Sonia Gandhi who made Telangana a reality but felt that the party was being ignored by the top leadership. Asked if was going to join BJP, he said so far, he did not meet anyone from BJP but he would continue his fight against TRS. He said he would continue his fight against the feudalistic attitude of Revanth Reddy who was weakening the backward communities politically. Both Sravan and Rajagopal Reddy had branded Revanth as a "Mafia leader." Sravan said that he had joined Congress party inspired by the speech of Rahul Gandhi at the Chintan Shivir of 2013 to free Telangana from autocratic rule. But the situation now was different and demoralising, he said.