Thakre’s visit puts Congress affairs back on track in Telangana

New AICC incharge of Telangana appears to have earned the confidence of all sections of the Telangana Congress

The dissident voices fell silent and the divided groups are back at their given responsibilities in the Telangana Congress and all this took was six-days visit of the newly appointed AICC incharge Manikrao Thakre.

His visit to Telangana in two instalments brought significant change in the attitude of the groups, and their smooth operations in the given responsibilities, after staying away for some time, is perhaps an indication of it. Adding credence to the development was the announcement of TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy that those waiting to benefit from the internal differences of the party leaders can now take a walk.

At the Dalita Girijana Atma Gourava Mahasabha in Bijnepalli of Nagarkurnool district, attended by Mr. Thakre, Mr. Reddy said they may have some differences and fight among themselves but they all would collectively fight the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). His signal to the seniors opposing his style of functioning was positive.

Bhongir MP Komatireddy Venkata Reddy, who stayed away from Gandhi Bhavan for nearly a year, walked in to meet Mr. Thakre and also had a hearty discussion with Mr. Revanth Reddy. The images of both the leaders engaged in a serious conversation were indeed a positive sign, a senior leader confessed.

AICC programmes implementation committee chairman A. Mahehwar Reddy, whose strong statements against Mr. Revanth Reddy’s proposed padayatra, apparently with the blessings of some seniors, too was satisfied after Mr. Thakre’s visit. After staying away from work for a few weeks he is back at the office.

Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Bhatti Vikramarka, at whose residence the ‘dissident’ leaders met leading to the appointment of a new AICC incharge, was comfortable sharing the stage with Mr. Revanth Reddy. Though he never expressed his views on the TPCC chief openly or internally, the fact that the ‘dissident’ leaders met at his home sent a message that he too was unhappy.

The major change in the attitude seems to be the strong persona of Mr. Thakre and his approach to the problems in all seriousness. First, he opened the communication channels personally speaking to every leader and gave them an open offer that they could call him anytime on any party issue. ‘But don’t go to the media with damaging statements which can harm the party’s image’ was also his stern message.