Congress Dharna Is A Drama Born Out Of Internal Crisis: Jagadish Reddy

Former minister and BRS leader T. Harish Rao? Wait Jagdish Reddy has accused the Congress government of using public protests as a political tool to cover up its internal troubles, describing the party’s dharnas as a “drama” aimed at winning the approval of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy.

Speaking at Erravelli, Jagdish Reddy mocked the Congress leaders’ protest programmes, saying their actions reminded him of a demon boasting before Prahlada only to eventually meet his downfall. He alleged that several ministers were participating in dharnas primarily to impress the Chief Minister rather than to address genuine public concerns.

Reddy claimed that the internal crisis within the Congress had continued since the controversy involving minister Konda Surekha. He said apprehensions over losing ministerial positions were increasingly visible among some members of the Cabinet.

According to Reddy, ministers Duddilla Sridhar Babu and Ponnam Prabhakar were attempting to demonstrate their loyalty to Revanth Reddy through such programmes. He alleged that their participation in the protests was driven more by the desire to secure the Chief Minister’s favour than by political or public necessity.

Reddy also alleged that the influence of what he termed “Pachha Congress” was growing within the party, triggering unease among other sections of the Congress. Referring to Komatireddy Venkat Reddy’s absence from one of the protest programmes, he claimed that differences among ministers and concerns over their political future were becoming increasingly evident.

Taking a swipe at the Congress leadership, Reddy suggested that some ministers were worried about a possible reshuffle, sarcastically referring to a fear of “brother out, brother in” within the government.

Turning his attack towards the Chief Minister, Reddy claimed that K. Chandrashekar Rao continued to enjoy support among sections of the poor and that people still remembered his leadership. He said the Congress demand for KCR’s resignation itself reflected the ruling party’s apprehension about him.

Reddy, meanwhile, demanded that Revanth Reddy resign for allegedly failing to fulfil the promises made to the people. He asserted that KCR would return to active politics at an appropriate time and invoked the Prahlada-Narasimha episode to suggest that circumstances would eventually turn in the BRS leader’s favour.