The AICC in-charge also listened to the woes of Congress leaders who lost the Assembly elections, who said they were being forced to play second fiddle to BRS MLAs who defected to Congress.
Published May 29, 2025 | 2:26 PM ⚊ Updated May 29, 2025 | 2:26 PM
Meenakshi Natarajan. (X)
Synopsis: Ahead of the panchayat polls, Congress Telangana in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan is meeting leaders to assess grassroots readiness and address factionalism. MP Vamsi Krishna raised caste discrimination concerns during Saraswati Pushkaralu. Aspirants, including Dalit and Madiga MLAs, pushed for cabinet berths. CM Revanth Reddy is expected to discuss cabinet expansion with party high command in Delhi on 30 May.
Ahead of the panchayat elections, the ruling Congress is trying to gauge the preparedness of its cadres at the ground level.
Congress in-charge for Telangana, Meenakshi Natarajan, is holding a series of one-on-one meetings with MLAs and those who lost the last elections, eliciting their views on strengthening the party at the grassroots.
The party appears keen on holding the elections to the panchayats in June or July. Ahead of this important event, which would serve as an indication of how strong the party is at the ground level, Meenakshi Natarajan is trying to identify grey areas, pressure points, and factionalism at the assembly segment level and find solutions.
Though she wanted to hear suggestions on infusing new vigour into the party, many leaders appeared more concerned about securing party or government sinecures. She heard the opinions of leaders from assembly segments in Peddapalli, Adilabad, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Medak, Zaheerabad, and Malkajgiri Lok Sabha constituencies.
When she was listening to the MLAs from the Peddapalli Lok Sabha constituency, MP Gaddam Vamsi Krishna lodged a complaint of caste discrimination shown to him during the Saraswati Pushkaralu, held between 15 and 26 May. His father and legislator, Gaddam Vivek Venkataswamy, also sought steps for better treatment of Dalit leaders in the party. Vamsi explained the protocol breach at Kaleshwaram.
Vamsi Krishna was reportedly not invited or given due prominence during the inaugural ceremony of the Saraswati Pushkaralu at Kaleshwaram in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district. His name and photo did not find a place in the official invitations.
Vamsi Krishna and his supporters, along with Dalit organizations, alleged that his exclusion was due to his Dalit (Mala community) background.
In a social media post, the MP hinted at caste-based discrimination, stating, “Caste is more valuable than money,” and expressed anguish over being sidelined during the festival, which saw participation from top Telangana leaders, including Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and IT Minister D Sridhar Babu. Dalit groups condemned the state government, calling the omission a “heinous insult” to a Dalit MP.
The AICC in-charge also listened to the woes of Congress leaders who lost the Assembly elections, who said they were being forced to play second fiddle to BRS MLAs who defected to Congress. They felt it was very difficult for them to face the situation, as until the elections, they had fought against these leaders, and now they were expected to be friends with them.
Those who were aspiring for berths in the state cabinet also tried to project themselves as the best for consideration. For instance, Ramagundam MLA Makkan Singh Thakur told media persons after his tête-à-tête with Meenakshi Natarajan that he is very senior in the party and deserved a seat at the table.
He said he had urged her to also consider him for the post of working president of the PCC too. Kokkirala Premsagar Rao, Congress MLA from Mancherial, who is also in the race for cabinet expansion, reportedly explained to her how he deserved a berth in the cabinet.
Meanwhile, a group of Madiga MLAs also called on the AICC Telangana in charge. In a memorandum they submitted to her, they sought a cabinet beth to a representative from madiga MLA. The Madiga MLAs whom were led by Manakondur MLA K Satyanarayana.
Premsagar Rao, the Congress MLA from Mancherial, caused a commotion on 14 April by publicly expressing frustration over being overlooked for a Cabinet berth in Telangana’s Congress government. He accused certain party members of stifling his voice and obstructing his chances for a ministerial post, without directly naming them. Rao also took an oblique dig at Chennur MLA G Vivek, alleging that leaders who recently joined Congress after shuffling between BJP and BRS were lobbying for Cabinet positions. He even warned that he would not tolerate being ignored during the Cabinet expansion.
In a related development concerning cabinet expansion, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy hosted a dinner at his residence on Wednesday, 28 May, for ministers available in Hyderabad, where he sought their opinions on whose names could be recommended to the party high command for inclusion in the cabinet.
The Chief Minister reportedly discussed the need to consider the caste and regional considerations of the aspirants before their names are sent to the party high command.
The Chief Minister is expected to visit Delhi on 30 May to share his views on those who could be inducted into the cabinet. In all likelihood, the high command might give the go-ahead signal for expansion in the first week of June.
Meenakshi Natarajan is understood to have focused mostly on constituency-specific strategies for making the party strong in districts where it is still weak, like Adilabad. She wanted to know the role that Congress leaders were playing in giving adequate publicity to the state government’s welfare programmes.
(Edited by Sumavarsha)
