As the time for the next Assembly elections is narrowing down and realignment of political forces is gaining momentum with both Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress focusing on attracting leaders from rival parties, voice of dissent within the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) too appears to be picking up steam.
While it has remained largely outside Chief Minister and TRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s native combined Medak district so far, recent developments clearly indicate that it is gaining mass there too. On Friday, municipal chairperson of Narsapur and former district president of the party A. Murali Yadava questioned the leadership openly for giving a lift to “defectors and those who worked against the statehood movement” at the cost of those who worked for the party and the movement.
Mr. Yadava, who was Medak district president of TRS from 2015 to 2019, expressed discontent against the leadership openly questioning why the defectors were being given plum posts and for what reason those working hard for the party were being neglected.
“Vanteru Pratap Reddy who contested against Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao at Gajwel was offered the post of Forest Development Corporation chairman, Vikiti Sunitha Lakshma Reddy and M. Srinivas Reddy, who fought elections against TRS at Narsapur and Siddipet, respectively, were made State Women’s Commission chairperson and chairman of the Civil Supplies Corporation”, he explained.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Yadav sought to know why all posts were given to those from one (Reddy) community and whether there were no BC leaders there. He also mentioned how leaders such as T. Narsa Reddy, Md. Farooq Hussain and Md. Fareeduddin were taken into the party and offered posts at the cost of those who worked for the party and statehood to Telangana.
He did not mince words in branding them men belonging to Finance Minister T. Harish Rao and alleged that there was no entry for even MLAs into Pragathi Bhavan, let alone party workers. He did not respond directly when asked whether he was quitting the party and instead said he was raising the issue being in the party itself,