Congress leaders wary of overzealous minister

HYDERABAD : The ongoing migration of MLAs from the BRS to Congress has not just sown seeds of discontent in the grand old party but also created doubts about the sincerity of the migrants. Congress leaders are questioning the logic behind these defections even as the allegiance of the migrant MLAs has become a point of contention.

Senior Congress leaders allege that a particular minister is lobbying hard and making offers to BRS MLAs to convince them to change parties. Some believe that this particular minister has a singular purpose — to eradicate the BRS.

However, what is most galling for Congresss leaders is that even senior leaders like T Jeevan Reddy remain uninformed about who is joining the party.

The secrecy behind the migration is also leading to Congress leaders debating the motivation driving the migrant MLAs —whether they are driven by loyalty to the Congress, or by service inclination as professed, or by the allure of power.

The above-mentioned minister, in particular, is going the extra mile to dismantle the BRS by persuading MLAs to defect through promises of positions, contracts, and the clearing of long-standing bills. This approach has caused frustration among senior ministers who feel sidelined.

The minister is also known for engineering the defections of MLAs such as Danam Nagender, Tellam Venkat Rao and Pocharam Srinivas Reddy. These defections have taken place without the knowledge or involvement of other senior party members, further aggravating tensions.

Uneasy over the developments, another senior minister has reportedly reached out to general secretary KC Venugopal, informing him of the situation and requesting control over the other minister’s actions regarding the joining of MLAs. A party committee, led by former minister K Jana Reddy, is expected to address new joinings.

However, questions linger in the Congress about the long-term loyalties of the defecting MLAs and whether their support is aimed at sustaining the government or aligning with their former leader — the BRS president — or the BJP. There is also suspicion that the BRS leadership might be sending these MLAs into Congress as covert operatives to gather information on the government’s activities and exploit public issues to their advantage.

Faced with these questions, senior Congress leaders are uniting to rein in the minister’s rapidly expanding influence and protect the senior leaders who feel marginalised.

A delegation of senior leaders and ministers is expected to visit Delhi in the coming week to voice their complaints against the minister and advocate for the formation of a committee to oversee the induction of BRS MLAs into the party.