The Congress leaders who are putting up a brave face against the rival parties including the ruling BRS are virtually jostling and scrambling within the party. After the BC leaders raised a banner against the party leadership, now BC senior leader and former MP Ponnam Prabhakar openly faulted the TPCC for not including his name in the newly constituted election committee.
Ponnam Prabhakar went on record stating that the BC leaders in the Congress party are being sidelined and neglected. It is a deliberate conspiracy being hatched by those belonging to upper castes, he doubts. Prabhakar’s followers are angry with the TPCC and said they would protest till their leader gets his due share in the organisation.
Mr Prabhakar lamented with his followers if his own party neglects him, how could he fault the rival BJP and BRS parties for the justice to BCs? He reportedly proceeded to Hyderabad from Karimnagar to meet the state party affairs in-charge Manikrao Thackery and TPCC president A Revanth Reddy. He said he is ready for a showdown with them. Mr Prabhakar and his followers are sore over the leaders who recently joined the party calling the shots. The seniors and loyalists are being pushed to a corner. This is a bad trend and does not augur well for the party prospects, they felt.
It may be noted that another senior leader and former minister Ponnala Laxmaiah recently espoused the cause of BCs. Accompanied by other BCs within the Congress party, they demanded a due share of tickets in proportion to the population in the ensuing Assembly elections.
However, there was no reaction from either the TPCC or AICC till date.
By Gollapudi Srinivasa Rao