Congress high command steps in, makes Telangana party chief Revanth apologise to Venkat Reddy

TPCC state in-charge Manickam Tagore and Revanth Reddy discuss election preparations with Congress cadre at Munugode in Telangana on 11 August. (Twitter @manickamtagore)

In a new twist in the Congress’ tale, TPCC chief A Revanth Reddy tendered an unconditional apology to the party star campaigner and Bhongir MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy on Saturday, 13 August, for his as well as party leader Addanki Dayakar’s recent “uncharitable” comments.

My apologies to brother and colleague @KomatireddyKVR garu. @manickamtagore @UttamINC pic.twitter.com/v7gkvXtlRD

— Revanth Reddy (@revanth_anumula) August 13, 2022

In a related development, Revanth Reddy, after apologising, stayed away from the Padayatra from Narayanpur to Choutuppal, blaming ill-health.

Revanth Reddy, it is said, was showing symptoms of Covid-19, and a blood sample was sent for confirmation.

But Venkat Reddy, speaking to the media immediately afterwards, insisted that Dayakar should be suspended from the party before he could react to the apology tendered by Revanth Reddy.

Revanth Reddy is understood to have gone into a shell, sulking with the party leadership as it had stepped in and forced him to apologise to Venkat Reddy. Revanth believes that Venkat Reddy had tried to queer his pitch when he was trying to become TPCC president.

Unhappy over the ways of functioning of Revanth Reddy after the exit of Venkat’s brother Rajagopal Reddy from the Congress, the MP apparently lodged a protest with the party high command against the TPCC chief.

Tagore to the rescue

Immediately party state in-charge Manickam Tagore is understood to have begun a damage control exercise. He spoke to Revanth Reddy and made him apologise to Venkat Reddy as the latter is an important leader of the party.

Tagore is learnt to have stressed the need to avoid confrontation at a time when the party should gear up for the ensuing by-election to Munugode.

Revanth, after apologising to Venkat Reddy, asked the party disciplinary committee to continue proceeding against Dayakar and take the issue to its logical conclusion.

In fact, immediately after Venkat Reddy protested Dayakar’s comments, the latter tendered an apology to him, but Venkat Rededy insisted that the apology should come from Revanth Reddy.

The squabble 

The differences between Revanth Reddy and Venkat Reddy came to a head after Revanth’s supporter Dayakar, while slamming Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy for leaving the Congress at a public meeting at Munugode, made some objectionable comments on Venkat Reddy.

He had said that people like Venkat Reddy should better leave the party rather than stay and do damage to the party’s interests.

In another context, Revanth Reddy took a swipe at Venkat Reddy that a home guard, even after serving the police department for 35 years would never become a constable but someone who is selected for IPS would straightaway be posted as SP of a district.

If a home guard complains that despite 35 of service, he was not made SP, it is of no use because higher positions are bestowed depending on one’s competence, Revanth Reddy said in an indirect reference to himself and how competent he was to head the TPCC, which had riled Venkat Reddy no end.

Though the disciplinary committee issued a show cause notice to Dayakar, it did not pacify Venkat Reddy as he was very sore over Revanth Reddy taking several decisions related to party programmes in Munugode which happens to be one of the seven segments of his Bhongir Lok Sabha constituency.

He also found fault with Revanth Reddy for inducting Cheruku Sudhakar into Congress without consulting him. Venkat Reddy suspects that Sudhakar had tried to mar his prospects in the Lok Sabha election in 2019 and since then both of them have not been seeing eye to eye.