Congress Rift: MLC Jeevan Reddy opposes MLA Sanjay Kumar’s inclusion, alleges special treatment

Hyderabad: Senior Congress leader and MLC T Jeevan Reddy’s letter to Congress party president Mallikarjun Kharge, general secretary of All India Congress Committee and senior Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Telangana in-charge Deepa Das Munshi has brought out internal conflicts within the Congress party in Telangana.

T Jeevan Reddy, a senior Congressperson has strongly opposed the inclusion of Bharat Rashtra Samithi MLA M Sanjay Kumar in the Congress party and has alleged that defectors in the party are getting 'special treatment' among the ranks.

Sanjay Kumar is the MLA from Jagtial from the BRS party. After the Congress government came to power in Telangana, the BRS MLA switched sides to Congress.

What did Jeevan Reddy write to Kharge?

In a two-page letter shared on X, T Jeevan Reddy wrote, “I have strongly opposed BRS and worked to strengthen the Congress party but could not get the desired result in the 2023 Assembly elections in Jagtial. After the formation of the Congress government in the State, I was shocked to find that our party admitted M Sanjay Kumar who won against me from BRS into our party. Sanjay Kumar coming into our party could not go down well with not just me but also our cadre and I was under tremendous mental agony. As a result, I thought of quitting as a Member of the Legislative Council.”

“During these unsettling political circumstances, deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka and minister D Sridhar Babu took it upon themselves to address the resultant dismay and injustice meted out to me. They engaged with me and kept my honour by bringing it up with the party's high command. I have followed their advice and stood united and strong with the party. It is also a fact that this decision to admit Sanjay Kumar is patently against Rahul Gandhi’s Paanch Nyay which stipulates immediate loss of the membership upon defection and is resolved to bring consequent changes in the 10th schedule of the Constitution on defection,” he added.

T Jeevan Reddy further wrote, “I bring to your notice that recently there have been some developments in our party which hinted that special treatment was given to those members who defected and joined our party.”

Murder of M Ganga Reddy

The murder of M Ganga Reddy, a follower of T Jeevan Reddy, has caused a lot of turmoil in the district of Jagtial. Ganga Reddy a former member of MPTC, was murdered leading to a war of words between Jeevan Reddy and Sanjay Kumar. Jeevan Reddy told the local media that he was very upset with the outsiders in the Congress party and not happy with the insults he has to bear every day because of them.

MLA Sanjay Kumar, in a separate interview with local media, said, “I have nothing to do with Ganga Reddy’s murder. It was not due to political slugfest but a personal rivalry.”

Kumar versus Reddy

Kumar claimed that he is an ‘original’ Congressman and has been associated with the party from the first MP of Karimnagar A Ganga Rao, while Jeevan Reddy alleged that Sanjay Kumar is not letting the Congress cadre work in the district and the promises made by the Congress government are not being fulfilled due to his interference.

Former BRS leaders versus Congress

Congress leaders and party workers in their meeting with Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Mahesh Kumar Goud have also expressed the preferential treatment being given to ‘outsiders’ from the party. For this reason, Goud in a meeting and also in a recent interaction with the press made it clear that BRS workers and leaders are welcome in the party but they will not be given any posts. Goud told the party workers and leaders that the ‘old’ Congresspersons and workers would be preferred before the new leaders. Those who have worked were associated with the party when it was not in power for 10 years will be given the first option.”

This has been said due to the feedback received from several leaders from the districts who had allegedly found that the BRS leaders who have joined Congress are getting the upper hand.

Managing State versus Party

According to sources in the Congress party, “To ensure that there is no threat to the Congress government in Telangana, the BRS MLAs have been taken into the party. The concern of CM A Revanth Reddy has been to ensure that the government runs smoothly. For that reason, these steps were taken. But there is discontent on the ground due to this. For this reason, Mahesh Goud, as the party president, is now trying to settle the issues that have cropped up due to this act. T Jeevan Reddy had only been pacified by the party but his grudges will continue. The death of his follower has also affected him, and he is upset that the CM is not giving him the due importance that was desired for him.”

With this internal political slugfest in the Congress party, the political scene in Telangana continues to burn like a slow fire getting all the political players out on social media to comment and point out the situation in the State.