Cong faces minority backlash

Hyderabad: The selection of MLC candidates by Congress high command did not go down well with many leaders, especially the aspirants, with the minority wing leaders coming out openly and holding a protest at Gandhi Bhavan. Many seniors, party loyalists, and young guns, in addition to those who joined Congress after it came to power, aspired for an MLC berth. Their hopes were shattered when AICC announced the names of Addanki Dayakar, Shankar Naik, and Vijayashanti, while a seat went to its ally, the CPI.
Though senior leaders are not coming on record, many leaders are unhappy with the last-minute inclusion of Vijayashanti's name, sources said. AICC in charge Meenakshi Natarajan has a lot to do to convince the party leaders about the party high command's decision on MLC seats, a senior leader said on the condition of anonymity.
In an unprecedented show of anger and frustration, minority leaders and activists staged a late-night protest at Gandhi Bhavan on Monday. They expressed outrage over the party not including a Muslim in the MLC candidates list.
"Not including a Muslim in the MLC list will send a wrong message to the Muslim community in Telangana that Congress is systematically sidelining minority community leaders, despite their significant contribution to the party's electoral victory. The community may take this as a deliberate insult to the Muslim community, which comprises nearly 14% of the state's population," one of the protesting leaders said.