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Jolt for YSR as Kotla man becomes AP Congress chief

Syed Amin Jafri in Hyderabad

The appointment of former member of Parliament M Satyanarayana Rao as president of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee, replacing Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy, has come as a surprise to the state Congress circles.

"It is a bolt from the blue," said a former APCC president who was an aspirant for second innings himself. "Why Congress president Sonia Gandhi has chosen him I am not able to understand," he confessed.

Several Congress leaders privately expressed "resentment" over Satyanarayana Rao's appointment.

The contention of the outgoing state Congress president's supporters was that Dr Rajasekhar Reddy should have been allowed to continue in the dual posts of APCC president and Congress legislature party leader at least till the panchayat raj elections are over.

Thereafter, he could have been divested of the responsibility as APCC chief.

"He (Satyanarayana Rao) has been picked up from virtual political wilderness. He does not command support even in his home district. Legislators and leaders from Karimnagar district don't see eye to eye with him. His twin qualifications for the job are his loyalty to Congress Working Committee member and former chief minister Kotla Vijayabhaskar Reddy and the fact that he hails from Telangana," points out another senior leader.

His critics say that in the last 16 years, he did not win a single election. Of course as an MP for 14 years, he represented Karimnagar constituency in the Lok Sabha for three terms (1971, 1977 and 1980).

However, in the four successive Lok Sabha elections (in 1984, 1989, 1991 and 1996), he did not get the Congress ticket to contest the polls. He unsuccessfully contested the 1998 Lok Sabha elections. He contested the assembly in 1989 but lost to a party rebel V Jagapathi Rao. He did not get the ticket to contest the Lok Sabha/ assembly polls in 1999.

What, however, prompted his appointment as APCC president was the demand voiced by several Congress leaders for the replacement of Dr Rajasekhar Reddy as APCC chief following the party's failure to wrest back power from the Telugu Desam Party led by Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu in the simultaneous elections to the assembly and Lok Sabha in 1999. Former MP V Hanumantha Rao, former CLP leader P Janardhan Reddy and others have been against the continuance of YSR in the dual posts of APCC chief and CLP leader.

The demand for replacing YSR as PCC chief gained momentum after the party failed to win a majority of the municipalities and municipal corporations in the March 2000 polls.

Rival groups in the Congress propped up several names for the APCC president's post. The YSR camp backed at least four names: former ministers D Srinivas (from backward classes), P Shankar Rao (from scheduled castes), T Purushotthama Rao (from Velama community) (all from Telangana region) and former member of Parliament Dronamraju Satyanarayana (from Brahmin community) from coastal Andhra region.

Another aspirant was former APCC president and ex-MP V Hanumantha Rao.

The faction led by Vijayabhaskar Reddy supported four other names: former ministers Sambani Chandrasekhar (from scheduled castes/ Telangana region), K Satyanarayana Raju (from Kshatriya community, coastal Andhra), former member of legislative assembly M Kodanda Reddy (from Telangana) and M Satyanarayana Rao (from Velama community/ Telangana).

AICC observer for organisational polls and former AP governor Kumudben Joshi propped up the name of former minister Marri Sashidhar Reddy (son of late Dr Marri Channa Reddy).

The AICC president ultimately picked up Satyanarayana Rao as a compromise candidate after holding discussions with senior leaders from the state.

YSR, who was away in Cuddapah, was informed about the decision.

YSR, in turn, rang up Satyanarayana Rao from Cuddapah and greeted him.

"YSR called up me and assured me full cooperation. He told me that we will all work together. YSR will be campaigning for the party candidates in the Bhongir and Chevella constituencies in the assembly bye-polls slated for May 26. I will be leaving for Delhi on Saturday. I will take charge after my return from Delhi," Satyanarayana Rao said.

Congress circles point out that the choice of Satyanarayana Rao may not be appopriate. "One of his legs was operated upon sometime ago. He underwent an eye operation just four days ago. Doesn't AP Congress have any other senior leader who can head the party now?" is the angry retort of a "disappointed" aspirant who also points out that Satyanarayana Rao had a stint in the All India Indira Congress-Tiwari as vice-president.

However, on record, many Congress leaders welcome Satyanarayana Rao's appointment as APCC chief. Privately, though, they express their scepticism. But will Satyanarayana Rao rise to the occasion and deliver the goods by galvanising the Congress as an effective opposition party out to embarrass Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu? Only time will tell.

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