With speculation rife that Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) chief Uttam Kumar Reddy may step down as he was elected as an MP from Nalgonda, All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Telangana RC Khuntia on Monday said that there was no such proposal under consideration.
Speaking to reporters at Gandhi Bhavan, the state headquarters of the party in Hyderabad, Khuntia told reporters “Uttam Kumar Reddy will continue as president of the TPCC. There is no discussion at any level of the party on changing the leadership. Former MP Ponnam Prabhakar will lead a committee to conceive and plan necessary strategies.”
The comments come at a time when both Uttam and Khuntia are facing dissent from within the party, the latest coming from senior party leader and legislator Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy, who is eyeing the BJP.
Speaking to reporters last week, Rajagopal Reddy attacked his own party, saying it had no future in the state. Rajagopal Reddy, who was elected to Telangana Assembly from Munugode constituency in Nalgonda district, blamed Congress leadership for the party's sorry state of affairs in the state. He targeted state in charge R C Khuntia and state Congress President Uttam Kumar Reddy, saying their style of functioning led to party's crushing defeat in the Assembly elections in December last year.
He said if the leadership had taken immediate action to remove Khuntia and Uttam Kumar Reddy, the party would have done well in Lok Sabha elections. He said after losing 12 MLAs to the TRS, the Congress was demoralised.
Leaders like sitting Sangareddy MLA T Jayaprakash Reddy alias Jagga Reddy also seem to be suggesting that a change is necessary in the TPCC if it hopes to revive itself from the battered state that it presently is in. Many names of leaders who were vying for the TPCC chief post were also doing the rounds in the media.