The Congress’ newly-appointed Telangana in-charge Manikrao Thakre arrived in Hyderabad on Wednesday, 11 January, to put in order a house that appeared to be on the verge of a vertical split following a recent revolt by the seniors in the party.
Thakre landed at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport to a warm welcome by Telangana Congress president A Revanth Reddy and CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka
He drove straight to Gandhi Bhavan to get a hang of the situation that had been evading a solution ever since Revanth Reddy made a late entry into the party in 2017.
The issue was exacerbated when he was made the president of the Telangana Congress in 2019.
Thakre conferred with AICC secretary Bose Raju, Rohit Choudary, and Nadeem Javed after arriving at Gandhi Bhavan.
Later, he discussed the issues at the party with Revanth Reddy.
The Telangana in-charge then reviewed the situation with CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka.
When Revanth Reddy joined the Congress in 2017, fissures developed in the party with native Congress leaders who saw the possibility of the emergence of a new power centre, began joining hands against him.
I want to thank @INCIndia President Shri @kharge Ji, Smt. Sonia Gandhi Ji, Shri @RahulGandhi Ji & Shri @kcvenugopalmp Ji for showing trust in me & giving me the responsibility of AICC Incharge Of @INCTelangana
I will try my best to accomplish my duty. https://t.co/YdxkZ7LZhS
— Manikrao Thakare (@Manikrao_INC) January 4, 2023
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When he was finally made its Telangana unit president, seniors began fuming at the turn of the event.
As days passed, the gulf between the old guard in the party (read local, native leaders) and the young blood (read migrants) only widened.
Recently, the differences between the two camps reached a flashpoint when the Telangana Congress executive and the affiliated committees were reconstituted.
A split seemed imminent when senior leaders let out their pent-up displeasure of the party’s state leadership for filling the committees with migrants from the TDP (as Revanth is originally from the TDP).
They also complained about former Telangana Congress in-charge Manickam Tagore’s treatment of Revanth Reddy.
With Tagore out of the way, the senior leaders are now trying to assert themselves to cut Revanth Reddy down to size.
Manikrao Thakre arrived in Hyderabad in the backdrop of this simmering discontent among the seniors, who now want plum positions at the national level as AICC president Mallikharjun Kharge is undertaking the exercise to constitute a new body for the party.
It remains to be seen how Thakre would be able to demolish the wall between the migrants and the natives and bring them together in an attempt to build a cohesive team and turbocharge it with enthusiasm to take on the BRS in the Assembly elections in November-December.
