Southern States - Andhra Pradesh   

Cong. squabbling to the fore again in A.P.

By Dasu Kesava Rao

HYDERABAD DEC. 17. With only four days to go for its mega event at Warangal — a massive rally to be addressed by the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi— the party in Andhra Pradesh is once again caught in the throes of unseemly squabbling and factionalism.

A sour note on the December 21 meeting was struck at the very outset last month when the Pradesh Congress leadership felt offended that the sponsors of the meet — the backward classes wing — should go over its head and get "Madam's approval.'' Gandhi Bhavan distanced itself from the programme even as P. Shiv Shanker, head of the AICC BC cell, V. Hanumantha Rao, AICC secretary, and their followers went all out to make it a big success.

Efforts are on to mobilise crowds from all over the Telangana region for the meeting, organised to woo weaker sections back into the party's fold and, more importantly, to galvanise the cadre for the 2004 elections.

The AICC general secretary in charge of the Andhra Pradesh affairs, Vayalar Ravi, came here last week on a patch-up move but failed in his mission. Mr. Shiv Shanker and Mr. Hanumantha Rao who did not turn up, rebuffed him. B. Sarojini Pulla Reddy, CWC member, also kept away.

It was only on Monday that the APCC president, M. Satyanarayana Rao, and the Leader of Congress Legislature Party (CLP), Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, went to Warangal and reviewed the arrangements. Mr. Hanumantha Rao avoided them and went about his own work at the venue. As if to show resentment, the BC cell of the APCC held its meeting in Hyderabad the same day where a resolution was adopted congratulating Mr. Shiv Shanker for getting Ms. Gandhi to attend the rally.

For record sake, however, Mr. Ravi and leaders on both sides of the fence maintain "there are no differences in the party." Privately, they snipe at one another. Both Dr. Rajasekhara Reddy and Mr. Satyanarayana Rao had a taste of groupism in the party in Nalgonda district yesterday. Slogan-shouting followers of V. Purushotham Reddy and K. Venkata Reddy, MLAs, who made a scene at a guesthouse, besieged them.

Meanwhile, M.V. Mysoora Reddy, MLA from Cuddapah district who was divested of the CLP secretaryship, and P. Janardhan Reddy, former CLP leader whose suspension was just revoked, said in Warangal that a backward classes leader would be the Chief Minister if the party returned to power. This is regarded as a reply to some leaders who hailed YSR as the next Chief Minister at yesterday's meeting in Warangal.

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