Congress finds itself an untouchable

Vijayawada: The ruling Congress in Krishna district is seen as the victim of the bifurcation decision taken by the party high command.

With a majority of the people opposing division and the parties like the TDP and the YSRCP taking a U-turn on the division issue, the Congress remained isolated with the Samaikyandhra protagonists targeting the party.

Though the Congress in Krishna district and the city Congress were the first party units to adopt an official resolution against bifurcation of the State and sent a request to the high command to withdraw the decision, this move did not help the party save itself from the onslaught of the Samaikyandhra activists.

The party in the district or in the city could not defend itself and remained victim of division move.

The party also suffered heavily with the local MP, Lagadapati Rajagopal, openly criticising the high command and accusing the party leadership of having back door understanding with the TRS in Telangana and the YSRCP in Seemandhra.

Minister for Secondary Education KP Saradhi or the legislators of the ruling party took no initiative to save the party's image from this onslaught.

Former minister and senior leader Mandali Buddha Prasad had distanced himself from the Congress in protest against the division. There are several others who remained silent when the Congress is being targeted on the streets and its president Sonia Gandhi's effigies are burnt by the protesters.

However, to certain extent, former minister Devineni Rajasekhar Nehru tried to protect the party high command from the Opposition's onslaught revealing that the Congress Working Committee had taken the decision on the letters given by all other parties.

Besides the bifurcation, the sharing of the hot seat ' city Congress president post ' between two senior leaders had hit the party severely in the urban district.

Lack of coordination between the two leaders-Meesala Rajeswara Rao as working president and Adapa Sivanagendra as president-could not rejuvenate the party. They have done nothing to strengthen the party except giving a new paint to the historical Andhra Rathna Bhavan, the city Congress headquarters.

Even the three legislators, Malladi Vishnu, Vellampalli Srinivas and Yalamanchili Ravi, have not done their part in saving the fading image of the party. They are rather busy in consolidating their positions in their respective segments and gearing up for the next elections.

On the other hand, the cadre and the second rung leadership are upset with the party for not filling the nominated posts even in the last year of power. Having tired of lobbying for the nominated posts, the local leaders are waiting for the leadership to turn to them at the time of elections.