In a major setback to the Congress, Greater Hyderabad Congress Committee president and party senior leader Danam Nagender quit on Friday, accusing the party of ignoring the issues of the Backward Castes in the state.
The former minister wrote in his resignation, “In the recent times I have tried my best to explain to the party high command both at the state and centre, the changing political scenario in Telangana state with particular reference to the welfare of the backward class communities which comprise of more than 50% of the populace. All my appeals have fallen on deaf ears.”
Complaining about the party leadership he said that lack of coordination, lack of dialogue with the cadre and neglect of grass root leaders has left the party rudderless.
He further said that infighting and disenchantment among the cadre has affected the morale of the party.
Danam, who has been with the Congress for nearly three decades, the party’s strongman in Hyderabad aggrieved that the party leadership made deliberate attempts to dilute his role as the GHCC president.
Danam had been unhappy with the leadership of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee and did not share good vibes with president Uttam Kumar Reddy.
In January, the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee had taken a call to boycott the ‘At Home’—a lunch hosted by Governor alleging he was biased towards them. But Nagendar defied the party diktat’s Danam and had attended the lunch with another Congress leader, Rapolu Ananda Bhaskar.
Danam’s resignation comes in the wake of the AICC president Rahul Gandhi appointing Telangana Congress MLA Sampath Kumar as one of the three AICC secretaries for Maharashtra on Friday.
However, Nagendar's resignation is not the only trouble that the party is facing in Telangana. In the party meeting held on Thursday, DK Aruna took strong objections to the the inclusion of Nagam Janardhan, former BJP leader into the party.
Last week, several Congress leaders including TPCC working president Bhatti Vikramarka, Revanth Reddy, DK Aruna, MLA Komatireddy Venkata Reddy, and former minister Sridhar Babu travelled to New Delhi to wish Rahul Gandhi on his birthday and expressed their dissatisfaction against Uttam Kumar.
D Nagender was elected from Asifnagar assembly constituency in 1994, 1999 and 2004 as a Member of the Legislative Assembly. In the 2004 Andhra Pradesh state Assembly elections, he left the Indian National Congress (INC) for the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), he later came back to the Congress.