T Cong leaders shy away from DS' 'accession'

Under normal circumstances, almost all party members make it a point to greet the Pradesh Congress Committee president when he takes charge of his post, especially if the Congress is in power in that particular state.

The circumstances in which PCC chief D Srinivas assumed charge in Andhra Pradesh cannot be termed normal.

The renomination of Mr Srinivas to the post came at a time when the Congress is almost split on the issue of bifurcation of the state, the contenders for the thorny throne of the PCC are many and the very fact that the people have rejected the incumbent not once but twice at the hustings.

Mr Srinivas took charge at the Gandhi Bhavan on Monday with only MLA Sudhir Reddy, MLCs Indrasena Reddy, Jagadishwar Reddy, Rudraraju Padmaraju, G Rudraraju and Ganga Bhavani among the ‘notable’ leaders being present to welcome him to the Gaddi.

The big story was not about those being present, but about those who were conspicuous by their absence.

Mr Srinivas’s accession or retention (depends on how you look at it) was boycotted by the Telangana MPs, MLAs and MLCs, even though the PCC chief hails from the region.

Mr Srinivas took charge amidst rumblings in the state Congress leadership who point out that he has been rejected by the people twice. Mr Srinivas lost the elections in 2008 and in the by-polls in 2009, from the constituencies of his choice.

They also grumbled about the fact that no other Congress leader from Telangana was considered for the post.

The Congress leaders, if they are peeved at the High Command for opting to continue with Mr Srinivas at the helm of the party, are doing a good job of keeping silent. But their boycott of his charge-taking ceremony spoke volumes about their disenchantment.

As if to pre-empt any media reports about the boycott, Mr Srinivas said in the press conference after taking charge lashed out at the media for focusing on trivial issues with magnifying glass. He said that some media houses were creating sensationalism in the name of `breaking news’ to increase viewership for their channels.

However, the media can be excused for focussing on the boycott, especially after hearing one leader from the party who said that the reason behind Mr Srinivas being renominated was simply because he enjoyed a good rapport with leaders from Seemandhra regions.

This leader said that Mr Srinivas speaks about a separate state while in Telangana, talks about keeping Andhra Pradesh and the Congress party integrated once he reaches New Delhi.