High Command serious at Cong men

Hyderabad, Sept 25:

 The Congress High Command has taken serious note of the non-cooperation of the cadre for the enrolment process. The Andhra Pradesh Congress Affairs Incharge and Union Minister, Mr Veerappa Moily, is stated to have asked the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president, Mr D Srinivas, on Friday to provide the details of those leaders who are not cooperating with the leadership in the enrolment exercise. Mr Moily is understood to have particularly mentioned the Thursday and Friday incidents where the Congress leaders in the districts resisted the PCC chief from taking up the process.

On Thursday the Congress men in the districts have adopted a strategy not to cooperate with the State leadership in the enrolment drive to press for nominating Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy, the son of former chief minister, the late Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, as the chief minister. When the PCC chief convened a meeting with Karimnagar, Medak, Prakasam, Kurnool and Mahaboobnagar District Congress Committee leaders through video-conference on Thursday, they opposed to the membership drive till the High Command announces Mr Jagan name for the post.

The members even took to streets and staged dharnas and protest rallies demanding that Mr Jagan be immediately named as next chief minister. However, Mr D Srinivas appealed to them that the High Command would take a positive decision on successor issue. He asked them to continue the membership drive as it would help them take government programmes directly to the people and strengthen the party base at grassroots level.

On Friday, similar scenes are repeated at Kakinada in East Godavari district. Growing restive at the delay in announcing Mr Jagan as the next chief minister, the party workers have locked the party office at Kakinada. The party ranks in Khammam, Warangal and Nellore also refused to take up the membership drive and go to the people. The party workers told the APCC president that they would force the Ministers, MLAs, MLCs and MPs to quit their posts if immediate decision is not taken to make Mr Jagan as the chief minister.

Taking strong objection to the behaviour of the Congress workers, the High Command on Friday reacted sharply and asked the PCC chief to send the details of those leaders from the districts who are not cooperating in the membership drive.