The ongoing war-of-nerves among ruling Congress party members, indeed sending a wrong signal to people, that too on the eve of byelections to 12 assembly constituencies, which necessitated due to the resignation of 10 TRS and one each of TDP and BJP members protesting against the Centre’s refusal to carve out separate Telangana and instead constitute Justice BN Srikrishna Committee.
Today, people are perplexed with the behavior of the ruling Congress members, that too the so called seniors from the region, who are more vocal in digging their own party colleagues graves. Was it a clever strategy of anti-YSR group nail their pro-YSR counterparts? Or such ‘pressure’ tactics only meant to prevail upon the party high command not to consider accommodating the former CM’s scion and Kadapa MP Y S Jaganmohan Reddy with a plum post in future? (This is in the wake of rumors making rounds that he may as well be allowed to succeed D Srinivas as Pradesh Congress Committee chief, as the former's term is coming to an end next month)
Should one consider it as their ‘strategy’ to ‘finish’ pro-YSR group within the party? Or a show down with the party high command?
Whatever may be their ‘hidden’ agenda, it is not going do any good to the party – now or in future. Calling their own colleague ‘corrupt’ doesn’t augment anyway for their own ‘vote bank’ to sail with them in the coming polls. And, if the party high command, for some reason or the other, bow down to these pressure tactics, and direct Rosaiah to ‘drop’ allegedly corrupt Ponnala from the Cabinet, it proves more disastrous to the party and government.
Doesn’t the so called seniors of the region aware of these facts? How come they choose to don the role of “Bhasmasura” to wipe their own party from the state? Can they dare imagine of the party winning any future elections, leave alone bouncing back to power yet again in 2014?
What one fails to understand how come these seniors dare not raise their voice while YSR was alive and kicking? Weren’t they scared of his unassailable stature and his ‘hold’ with the party high command? Do they choose now as they find ‘chicken heart-type’ qualities in their own Chief Minister K Rosaiah as he has no control over them?
As far Rosaiah is concerned, he is proving beyond doubt of adopting ‘Chanakya’ neethi. Time and again he is reiterating that he is sitting in CM's gaddi at the behest of party high command. He admits that the ‘seat’ is too 'hot' and willing to vacate, if the party high command so directs. Thus far, Rosaiah ‘cleverly’ keeps his hands off on ongoing war-of-nerves among his own party colleagues. Not that he is ‘blind’ to the fact that such malicious campaign against his own Cabinet colleague only weaken his government, than serve any better. Yet, by leaving the decision on ‘disciplining members’ to the party high command, he establishes his ‘neutral stand’ amongst warring groups.
It is up to the party high command to decide whether such ‘neutral’ stand of Rosaiah will do any good to the party or not.
But for an average onlooker the ongoing ‘power struggle’ within the ruling clique reminds them of pre-1983 political scenario in the state. The ‘power struggle’ within the Congress appears to be making its main Opponent Telugu Desam party job much easier to win over the people. The Congress party could win 2004 and 2009 elections simply because of the ‘unity’ it displayed under the strong leadership of YSR. That YSR initiated welfare schemes to poor and needy might have further cemented the ‘faith’ of electorate in that party.
The TDP, which spearheaded the ‘corruption’ issue, especially attacking the envious ‘Jalayagnam’ project from the day it was unveiled, in fact failed to convince the electorate. Their ‘appeasing tactics’ of ‘direct money transfer’ scheme into beneficiaries accounts, if their party brought back to power, also failed to convince the electorate in 2009 elections.
But, if the ruling party members themselves admit that there are more skeletons in their cupboard and are willing to pull one after the other, then the electorate does't require any more proofs.
Now it’s up to the ruling party and its high command to take immediate ‘damage control’ measures to prevent further erosion of the party’s image in the eyes of Andhrites. It they do, and then the fears of pre-1983 may as well come true! (16-06-2010)
NOTE: All the images in this blog are copy righted to their respective owners.
