In a big jolt to the Congress party ahead of the assembly elections, senior leader from the BC community, Ponnala Lakshmaiah tendered his resignation to the party. Lakshmaiah, a former minister in the undivided AP, also served as the first TPCC President.
In a strongly worded letter to the Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge, Lakshmaiah said that the recent political developments within the party have him deeply concerned. “I have repeatedly sought the attention of the PCC President over the last two years to discuss these party developments. Regrettably, such attempts have been met with a lack of acknowledgment and respect. The principles of social justice, which were once the bedrock of the Congress, are seemingly outdated now, with BCs, comprising more than 50% of our society, being treated with disrespect and disregard,” said Lakshmaiah.
The former minister said that the party’s candidate selection process, which should ideally be driven by the principles of fairness and representation, has come under question. “Allegations of irregularities further erode our party’s integrity. It is deeply unfortunate that senior leaders like me have had to wait for months to discuss party concerns, and I have personally experienced the frustration of waiting for ten days in Delhi to meet AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal,” Lakshmaiah expressed his displeasure.
At a juncture where the party is facing crisis regarding allocation of tickets to BCs in the forthcoming assembly elections, the resignation of Lakshmaiah will make things harder for TPCC President Revanth Reddy.