With the Reddy community being a dominant political force in both Telugu states, the obvious question is: what will be the fate of the Congress in Telangana if its equation with Revanth Reddy shifts?
Published Aug 02, 2025 | 11:00 AM ⚊ Updated Aug 02, 2025 | 12:00 PM
For someone who rose to the post of chief minister within a short span, Revanth is no pushover.
Synopsis: A sudden and unprecedented announcement by AICC Secretary in charge of Telangana, Meenakshi Natarajan, of a padayatra to ‘listen to the people’ has set off power games in the Telangana Congress, with her actions being interpreted as a lack of faith in the state leadership. For someone who rose to the post of chief minister within a short span, Revanth is no pushover, but his growing muscle within the party does seem to be a cause for concern for the high command.
Political affairs in the ruling Congress in Telangana now resemble a thriller film – full of intrigue, strategies and counter-strategies, one-upmanship, with one camp trying to secure a firm grip on the chessboard while the other returns to the drawing board to counter it.
The immediate trigger for this tussle was the rather unusual and surprising move by AICC General Secretary in charge of Telangana, Meenakshi Natarajan, who announced a padayatra in the state to “listen to people’s voices.”
Such a move – being interpreted as a lack of faith in the state leadership, both in the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) and the government – is unprecedented for a central party representative, particularly when the party is in power.
This is the authoritative sequence of events that unfolded from 28 July.
Around noon that day, Gandhi Bhavan, the headquarters of the PCC, issued a press release about the padayatra. Natarajan was to lead it, while PCC President Mahesh Kumar Goud and ministers would take part.
The yatra was scheduled from 31 July to 6 August in its first leg, with plans to resume after the 15 August Independence Day celebrations.
In addition to the padayatra, interactive sessions with local Congress leaders at the mandal and block level, as well as with MLAs and former MLAs, are also part of the programme.
On the same day, the State Cabinet met at 4pm under the chairmanship of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. After completing the official agenda, the chief minister and ministers discussed the implications of Natarajan’s announcement, as many felt she was bulldozing her way through.
A counter-strategy was drawn up: all the top leaders – ministers, MPs and MLAs from the state – would take part in a three-day protest in Delhi from 5 August to pressure the Centre to clear the long-pending bill providing for 42 percent reservations for Backward Classes (BCs). The protest would be led by the chief minister himself.
With a clash between the two programmes imminent, a meeting took place the next day, 29 July, between the chief minister, the PCC president and Natarajan.
A suggestion was made to Natarajan to defer or cancel the padayatra, as it could send wrong signals. The morning headlines in some newspapers that day reflected this sentiment.
Natarajan’s response, however, was a firm no to the deferment suggestion. “We have to go to the people,” was her response.
But she reportedly agreed to curtail the first half of the padayatra by two days, which was originally scheduled until 6 August, to ensure it didn’t clash with the Delhi protest to be led by the chief minister.
The AICC leader was reportedly upset over the lack of serious effort by senior leaders to ensure that party workers at the grassroots level are rewarded for their hard work when the Congress was in the opposition.
Following a rap from AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge at a recent meeting in Hyderabad, the PCC got down to the task of appointing in-charges for all districts. They, in turn, were expected to come up with a list of genuine party functionaries to be selected for nominated posts in various corporations and other bodies.
What they came up with, however, was a list comprising essentially their “cronies”, without adhering to principles of gender equality or social justice.
This is precisely the reason why Meenakshi Natarajan preferred to go on a padayatra and get independent feedback about deserving candidates for nominated positions. In short, the AICC leader signalled a lack of faith in the PCC’s functioning.
The crucial question, however, is whether Natarajan is acting independently or has the blessings of the high command. The latter seems to be the case, and the answer lies elsewhere.
The central leadership of the Congress is reportedly of the view that it must not allow another YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to emerge in Telangana.
Between 2004 and 2009, when YS Rajasekhara Reddy ruled undivided Andhra Pradesh, he grew into a leader bigger than the party itself. After his death, when his son Jagan Mohan Reddy floated his own party, the Congress vote shifted to him almost entirely.
Today, the Congress is practically non-existent in bifurcated Andhra Pradesh – as in other states where regional leaders grew bigger than the party.
With the Reddy community being a dominant political force in both Telugu states, the obvious question is: what will be the fate of the Congress in Telangana if its equation with Revanth Reddy shifts?
For someone who rose to the post of chief minister within a short span, Revanth is no pushover. He is sharp and quick in political thinking, and has now gained enough muscle to stand on his own, if necessary.
A top Congress leader is said to have remarked that, despite other shortcomings, Revanth Reddy is “efficient and delivers.” His rivals within the party are, at best, “nice people.”
For now, the Congress faces this challenge: how to rein him in without losing the party’s identity. Natarajan’s move must be read in this light.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
