In a bid to take along different power centres within the party and work for unity in Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee, TPCC president and MP A. Revanth Reddy had a meeting with senior leader of the party and Bhongir MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy at the latter’s residence here on Tuesday.
It assumes significance as it comes a couple of days after Mr. Venkat Reddy participated in the official programmes of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for two days — on Friday and Saturday. Although Mr. Venkat Reddy clarified that he was meeting Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao and sharing the dais with him after seven long years and that he was not given time by the Chief Minister to discuss some developmental issues of his Parliamentary Constituency, it did not go down well with a section of the TPCC.
The two were closeted for about two hours without their aides and are reported to have decided to work together for strengthening Congress and fight TRS and BJP in the State. Speaking after the meeting, Mr. Venkat Reddy admitted that they discussed internal matters of the party and also about the future course of action.
Stating that the number of cases of suicide by unemployed youth and farmers was increasing by the day in Telangana, he demanded that the government issue employment notifications at least now or as a “birthday gift of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao”. He alleged that there was a huge scam in the paddy procurement in the State as the government had purchased the grain from middlemen/traders at support price after farmers sold their produce to traders at lesser price.
He also alleged that he was not given opportunity to speak at a review meeting held at Bhongir after the inauguration of the Integrated District Offices Complex.
Mr. Revanth Reddy said Mr. Venkat Reddy had sacrificed his minister post when others were hanging on to them during the Statehood movement and likened his action to that of Konda Laxman Bapuji, who did the same during the Statehood movement in 1969. Stating that they had discussed the future course of action of the party in the State, he said a decision would be taken on them after debating them in the party meet.
The TPCC president demanded that the State government issue job notifications at least on the occasion of the Chief Minister’s birthday or else they would stage protests by cutting cakes in front of donkeys.
