Congress house in disorder in Andhra Pradesh

Chaos is ruling the roost in the ruling Congress party in Andhra Pradesh these days for the first time in six years.

Members of Parliament are attacking state ministers, junior MLAs are trying to take on their seniors while the latter are hitting back with equal vigour.

Legislators eyeing a berth in the state cabinet are sulking as chief minister K Rosaiah appears in no hurry to take up the expansion exercise in the immediate future.

The only ones who are left exuberant right now are the state ministers who have fallen in line and are singing paeans
of the chief minister, what with the cabinet expansion\reshuffle put on the back burner giving them "job security."

Kadapa MP YS Jaganmohan Reddy has planned a "Odarpu
Yatra" in Warangal district from May 28 to console over 70
families whose members allegedly died either due to heartbreak
or committed suicide following the death of his father and
late chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy in September last year.

The MP's proposed yatra has only compounded the woes of the Congress as the state leadership is caught in an embarrassing position on the issue with the pro-Telangana lobbyists in the party strongly opposing the tour saying it would lead to a law and order problem in Warangal, known as the hotbed of Telangana struggle.

The current mess in AP Congress started with Guntur MP Rayapati Sambasiva Rao petitioning AICC chief Sonia Gandhi
early this month against "corrupt ministers" in Rosaiah's
cabinet and seeking their immediate expulsion.

His prime target was state major industries minister Kanna Lakshminarayana, his bête noire in the district, and this led to a war of words and challenges and counter-challenges between the two.

Following in Rayapati's footsteps, Kurnool MP Kotla Suryaprakash Reddy targeted his district minister C Silpa Mohan Reddy alleging that the latter was working hand-in-glove with the Opposition Telugu Desam Party, thereby weakening the Congress in the district. Kotla also levelled allegations of corruption against Silpa Mohan.

Even before these two episodes ended, senior MLAs JC Diwakar Reddy, DL Ravindra Reddy and P Shanker Rao, all eyeing berths in the cabinet, openly demanded that the chief minister "review" the so-called welfare schemes launched by his predecessor YSR in view of the precarious financial health of the state.

Three MLAs from Kadapa, owing allegiance to YS Jagan, warned of consequences if the welfare schemes were withdrawn or watered down on the pretext of financial crunch.

They even went to the extent of threatening to take on even the prime minister and the AICC president if they committed any mistake.

This left not only the senior leaders red-faced but also the chief minister and the Pradesh Congress Committee president D Srinivas, who rushed to the party high command with "proof" of the Jagan camp's loud-mouthed outbursts. 

The senior legislators and many other party leaders demanded that the three MLAs be expelled from the party forthwith for having the temerity to speak against Sonia Gandhi.

Interestingly, neither the chief minister nor the PCC president reacted openly when the Kadapa MP himself issued flagrant warnings against moves to withdraw any of the welfare schemes initiated by his father when he was chief minister.

Now, Jagan has asserted that he would indeed go ahead with his yatra plan as it was "purely personal" But the Congress leaders in Telangana are not ready to take Jagan’s claim at face value.

"When he conducted a similar yatra in West Godavari and Khammam districts last month, he addressed many public
meetings wherein he sought to promote himself without ever
mentioning the party's name. He was also critical of the current government, being a ruling party MP. Since he is a staunch supporter of unified Andhra Pradesh, people of Telangana will not accept him," a senior MP from the region pointed out.

In fact, 11 MPs from the region submitted petitions to AICC leaders, including Ahmed Patel and Veerappa Moily, in New
Delhi on Tuesday seeking their intervention to prevail upon Jagan to put his yatra plans on hold.

Now, everyone is looking towards New Delhi for the AICC to "first react and then act" to set the party house in order in Andhra Pradesh.