Congress' old faultline erupts in Telangana: How new guard-old guard friction is testing the high command

After Punjab and Goa, Telangana has thrown up a new challenge for the Congress. The discomfort had been brewing for nearly three years between old Congressmen and leaders who came from outside the party’s traditional ecosystem, particularly from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP). Several Congress leaders believe the situation has worsened as the state leadership has struggled to manage both the party and the government.

The latest tussle is particularly visible between old Congress leaders Konda Surekha and G. Chinna Reddy and Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and his camp, who joined the Congress in 2017, rose rapidly through its ranks to become state unit president in 2021, and eventually became CM after leading the party to victory in the 2023 Assembly elections.

Surekha and Chinna Reddy have faced complaints over remarks and statements concerning the CM and leaders in his camp.

The Congress disciplinary committee subsequently recommended Surekha’s removal from the Cabinet and Chinna Reddy’s removal as vice-chairman of the Telangana State Planning Commission. The Disciplinary Action Committee (DAC), headed by Mallu Ravi, submitted its report to TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud, after which it was forwarded to the AICC for a final decision. Goud is considered close to the Revanth camp.

According to reports, the high command may ask the warring factions to resolve the matter politically rather than pursue formal disciplinary action.

“There is no leader currently putting the party’s interests first. Those projecting themselves as Revanth’s supporters are also driven by self-interest, ultimately hurting the organisation. The growing disconnect between the Chief Minister and his Cabinet is another concern. The CM is our leader, and party colleagues must stand by him,” Telangana Congress state general secretary Venkat Swami said.

“I urge the AICC to intervene on a war footing and take serious decisions before the situation slips out of our hands. Otherwise, the damage to the state unit could become irreversible,” he said.

The tensions within the party had intensified after the party’s 2023 victory, with the old guard arguing that leaders who spent decades building the organisation were being pushed aside by newcomers. The newer camp, meanwhile, argues that the victory would not have been possible without Revanth’s aggressive political strategy and the induction of new leaders that helped Congress defeat the BRS.

According to party leaders, there is also growing discontent over the management of both the government and the organisation by the state leadership, further widening the gap between factions.

“The party has been on edge in Opposition states such as Punjab and Goa because of factionalism. Here, we are in power and yet the leaders have not been able to manage themselves. If the void increases, it will become increasingly difficult to keep the party in shape for the 2028 Assembly elections,” a former legislator said.