Published Aug 11, 2026 | 2:07 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 11, 2026 | 2:07 PM
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy at the "co-ordination meeting: in New Delhi. (Photo | Special Arrangement)
Synopsis: The Telangana Congress is being torn apart by a Pandavas-Kauravas factional war, with the High Command struggling to broker peace. As the rival camps trade punches, it’s the party’s prospects in the next elections that are being badly bruised.
A Mahabharata-scale war is brewing in the Telangana Congress.
With simmering differences among senior party leaders reaching a stage where each is abusing the other in unprintable language, a desperate central leadership is playing the role of Lord Krishna to bring about a rapprochement.
But like in the Mahabharata, it is unlikely to yield any results as the warring factions are pushing the party into a deeper abyss with each passing day.
The seeds for the latest friction were ironically sown at a “coordination meeting” between representatives of the government and party in New Delhi on July 29. In attendance were Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, deputy chief minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, ministers Uttam Kumar Reddy and Dasari Seethakka, Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Mahesh Kumar Goud and All India Congress Committee (AICC) Telangana in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan.
The central message to Revanth from the meeting was that he should consult the party leadership and that important decisions cannot be taken unilaterally.
The case in point was the recent constitution of the board for the prominent Yadadri temple. All the nominees were chosen by the Chief Minister with neither the ministers from Nalgonda district (where the temple is located) nor the PCC being taken into confidence.
Mahesh Goud argued strongly at the meeting that long-time Congressmen were often left out when nominated positions were filled, leaving the cadre disappointed. This was seconded by Meenakshi, who emphasised the need for the government to involve the party in major decisions.
In an informal chat with media persons later, Mahesh Goud made no effort to hide his unhappiness. “It was wrong on the part of Revanth to have not consulted the party while finalising the temple board,” he said. At the meeting, he made sure to place on record that Congressmen at block and district levels should be considered while constituting all temple committees.
This riled the Chief Minister. After attending a meeting at the MCR HRD institute in Hyderabad a few days later, Revanth found time to chat up with a few reporters present at the venue.
“What do they (Uttam Kumar Reddy and Mahesh) think of themselves? What is their capacity? The Congress is in power now because of my efforts. They do nothing except carry tales to the Congress leadership. They should be whacked …” the Chief Minister blurted out in anger and frustration.
The instruction to the media persons, all of them representing Telugu television channels, was not to run his comments. However, Revanth did want whoever he had targeted to know his feelings.
The newsmen played the role of “Narada” to perfection. A few hours later, Uttam invited reporters of his choice and gave vent to his frustration. Again, off the record.
Accusing the Chief Minister of interfering in departments held by ministers, including in his own, Uttam reportedly went to the extent of branding Revanth Reddy with an abusive/unparliamentary word. That he keeps writing long letters to the central leadership against Revanth Reddy is also now public knowledge. Except that all such letters come back to Revanth in a cut/paste format.
Mahesh Goud too did not keep quiet. Sources in the know claimed that when Goud encountered the Chief Minister at a religious function held at a minister’s residence, he lost his cool. “What is the language you are using against me? Please control your tongue,” he told Revanth.
Mahesh is of the view that while Revanth did play an important role in bringing the Congress to power in 2023, he should not forget that the organisational strength of the party played a big part in the success. “This is a government of the Congress. He cannot treat it as his personal fiefdom,” Mahesh is known to have remarked.
At the informal chat, however, Revanth Reddy made light of the suggestion to him at the coordination committee meeting about involving the party.
“I will decide appointments and policies. It is the job of the PCC to take government programmes to the people. Without playing their designated role effectively, they want to poke their noses into matters that are under my domain. I am not going to yield,” the Chief Minister reportedly said.
While several ministers have been averse to Revanth’s style of functioning right from the beginning, the latest to join his rival camp is Seethakka. Revanth believes that despite all the encouragement he gave to her, Seethakka has also been trying to maintain a parallel line with Delhi, and he is now cut up with her.
The only minister who now appears to be cosying up to the Chief Minister is his deputy Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka. Once seen as a contender for the top post, Bhatti has destroyed his image owing to charges of corruption, and many see his surviving in the Cabinet itself as a bonus.
With this being the situation in Telangana, the Congress leadership is deeply worried about the declining fortunes of the party at a time when it is gaining elsewhere in the country amid what it believes is growing disenchantment with the Bharatiya Janata Party.
According to an AICC leader, the party leadership is caught between the devil and the deep sea. It is concerned about the plummeting image of the government but has no alternative to Revanth even if it wants to consider a change of leadership.
Multiple reports reaching Delhi about the mood on the ground suggested that the best-case scenario for Congress is 30-plus seats in the 119-member Assembly if elections were held today. In the worst case, it could slip to single digits.
After a weeklong consultation with all Congress MLAs, including ministers, recently, Meenakshi is understood to have submitted a report to the central leadership that a majority of the lawmakers expressed concern over the continuing slide of the party at the ground level. Their grouse is so severe that a legislator from Warangal district suggested that 60% of the nominated posts should be reserved for “original” Congressmen to prevent turncoats from walking away with all positions.
Nevertheless, the Chief Minister believes that he faces no threat given the confidence he enjoys with Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi. His rivals, however, point out that the warmth that Revanth enjoyed before is no longer felt.
A couple of days before the coordination committee meeting, AICC national general secretary KC Venugopal met with Revanth, Mahesh and others. The tone and tenor of Venugopal’s message to the Telangana leaders was different, signalling the changing view of Rahul Gandhi and others about the situation in the state.
According to sources, the central leadership is primarily worried on two counts: the impression gaining ground about growing corruption in Telangana and the negative impact being caused by the demolitions carried out by HYDRAA, both among those affected as well as on the real-estate industry which has taken a massive hit after the Congress came to power.
Long-time Congressmen consider themselves as the Pandavas in the Mahabharata and look at those who came from Telugu Desam and elsewhere as Kauravas. Revanth himself has joined Congress from Telugu Desam.
Revanth campers say irrespective of efforts made by him to reach out to old-time Congressmen, the results have not been good, and they continue to fill the high command’s ears against him. Therefore, he prefers to maintain his own grouping (largely associates from Telugu Desam days) and favours them with important positions.
Unlike in the Mahabharata, there could be no winners in this battle. When the next elections happen, both the Pandavas and Kauravas might be left badly bruised. The Opposition Bharatiya Rashtra Samithi (BRS) is gleefully watching from the sidelines the self-destruction mode the Congress is on. Not to be left behind, even the BJP is positioning itself on the boundary wall to occupy the ground that the Congress is ceding lest the BRS emerges as the sole winner.
From our archives:
Lord Rama wouldn’t mind drowning himself for Telangana’s farmers, dear Chief Minister
Grand claims, grim reality: Nitin Nabin’s Telangana tour exposes BJP’s hogwash
(Edited by R Rajesh Kumar.)
