While many Congress leaders have kept their plans a secret, the party’s Munugode MLA Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy said the Congress was facing a leadership crisis at the national and state level.The Congress is set to suffer a blow in two states as several leaders are planning to join the BJP and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, respectively.
“The delay is from the BJP leadership’s side which is not taking any decision, otherwise several Congressmen, including MPs and MLAs and district level leaders in Telangana wish to join BJP, and senior leaders in Andhra Pradesh are all set to join YSRCP,” a Congress leader in Telangana said after the TPCC met on Monday to stake stock of the situation.
While many Congress leaders have kept their plans a secret, the party’s Munugode MLA Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy said the Congress was facing a leadership crisis at the national and state level. “I don’t think the present Congress leadership can counter the BJP. The Congress is losing its base in Telangana to the BJP and there won’t be much of the Congress left soon,” Rajgopal said.
His brother and Bhongir MP Venkat Reddy said that he agrees with Rajgopal but would not leave the Congress. “There are many issues with the Congress in Telangana but I am not leaving the party. The party is split and there are many factions. The exodus of 12 of our MLAs to TRS has laid bare the weakness of the party and its leadership. Congress leaders and cadre see no future in the party in Telangana,” Venkat Reddy said.
On June 6, 12 Congress MLAs joined the TRS after submitting a memorandum that they were the CLP and sought a merger with TRS. Telangana Assembly Speaker P Srinivas Reddy accepted the memorandum which left the Congress with just six MLAs. With the AIMIM having seven MLAs, the Congress is set to lose the status of Leader of Opposition in the Assembly.
Senior Congress leaders said that they doubt if the party can remain a cohesive Opposition party in Telangana in the face of BJP’s efforts to gain control. “In the next two or three years, BJP is likely to become stronger than Congress in Telangana and as the main opposition party to the ruling TRS. BJP is going slow on admitting Congress leaders because it does not want to encourage defections but many Congress leaders are just waiting for a word to join,” a TPCC member said.
In Andhra Pradesh, the Congress is in shambles after drawing a blank for the second time with not a single MLA or MP being elected since 2014. All the 175 Congress Assembly and Lok Sabha candidates lost their deposits in the recent elections.
“YSRCP has replaced Congress in AP as the alternative to TDP. Till the time YSRCP and TDP remain powerful, Congress won’t have a chance of making a comeback, mainly due to the anti-Congress feeling among people due to bifurcation of the state. In the next couple of years, YSRCP may emerge even stronger so Congress leaders are making their moves. They see no future in the Congress,” former APCC spokesperson Y Ramchandra Reddy, who recently joined the YSRCP, said.
Sources in YSRCP said that Congress leaders are looking for MLC nominations or important positions in YSRCP so that they remain relevant. “Apart from several Congress leaders, at least eight TDP MLAs are also in touch with the YSRCP leadership. CM Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy is against such defections and has said no,” YSRCP’s Nellore Rural MLA K Sridhar Reddy said.
