With several seniors leaving the Congress in Telangana for greener pastures in the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti, political strategist Prashant Kishor is taking charge of the situation from behind the scenes. The Congress High command that pressed the panic button after the exit of Nalgonda MP Gutta Sukhender Reddy, former MP G Vivek, MLA Bhaskar Rao and former minister G Vinod, is now looking to youngsters in the party to take charge of the sinking ship.
The decision to make `Congress ka haath, yuvaon ke saath’ has been taken. Rahul Gandhi’s team has instructed that a group of 30 to 40 youth who will emerge as the future faces of the party in Telangana, be formed. The two conditions are that they should be below the age of 45 and should have active participated in the Telangana agitation. This group will articulate the Congress viewpoint to the people to dispel the perception that Telangana will soon be Congress-mukt.
A team from Delhi, under Kishor’s guidance, is reportedly collecting information on the kind of talent available and doing background checks on each person. The group, once identified, will meet Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, to get a better understanding of the kind of political line that needs to be taken. If these youth are able to hold their own and work well in identified constituencies, most of them will also be the party’s candidates in the 2019 polls in Telangana.
Though Kishor is focusing his energies on Uttar Pradesh and Punjab that go to polls in 2017, the Congress High command has roped him in to do something about its dipping fortunes in Telangana. Party president Sonia Gandhi is dismayed that the party is vanishing in a state that was carved out as a result of her decision in 2014.
Aditya Sashidhar Reddy, one of the young guns of the party and the son of Marri Sashidhar Reddy and grandson of former chief minister Chenna Reddy told Telugu 360 that the reins of the party should be handed over to the youth who will shoulder the burden for the next three to four decades.
Meanwhile the move by Sukhender Reddy to embrace the TRS has meant his rival in Nalgonda district, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy is staying back in the Congress. Earlier there were reports that Venkat Reddy will be TRS-bound. Now Venkat Reddy has challenged Sukhender Reddy to an electoral battle and is all pumped up to take leadership position in his district.
