Ravi faces flood of complaints

Union minister Vayalar Ravi, emissary of the Congress high command, is here to find some desperate measures to win the forthcoming by-elections but he is flooded with complaints, and there are few feasible suggestions.

Ravi has been meeting a cross-section of party leaders from both Seemandhra and Telangana including YSRC. And his diplomatic way, as one observed the whole day on Wednesday, was to tell everyone that winning the election was paramount and all other things secondary. The problem, obser­vers say, is that everybody agrees but disagrees on the modality.

“Ravi saab is a complaint box and Botsa Satyanarayana the sentry,” said a Congress leader form RR district. “The box is overflowing,” he added.

Both camps of Kiran and Botsa, have their army of detractors. One suggestion was that Reddys alone cannot win the elections; all communities must be taken into confidence by the Congress leaders.

On the other hand the Telangana MPs led by Vivek, Gutta Sukhender Reddy and others openly told Ravi last night that only an assurance on Telangana before the by-polls would salvage the image of the Congress in the State.

The Telangana MLAs, advocates and intellectuals also met Ravi separately and impressed upon him nothing short of a separate state can save the Congress in the State.

Postnoon met Ravi after he met the Telangana MLAs at the guest house. The query as to why he was meeting people in three different points — one at Gandhi Bhavan and two at City hotels—evoked a smile and a sudden frown. “You need not read too much into this. It is for the convenience of various leaders that the three meeting points are kept.”

He said in a national party like the Congress divergent opinions are natural media go too far reading a lot between the lines. While Ravi was busy with varied groups, Botsa was having a wrestling with media corps outside. Botsa told the media to remain downstairs and not to come upstairs where Ravi was engaged in talks. “You must respect our word when we respect yours, please stay downstairs,” he said.

More suggestions to get leaders reinstated have come forth, it is learnt. Some testy leaders who apparently got a rebuff from Ravi were heard saying that the Kerala model is not going to work in AP.

Apologise, says Danam

 Minister Danam Nagendar today found fault with MLA Damodar for making comments against Union minister Vayalar Ravi who is in Hyderabad as a special emissary for the Congress.

Nagendar said that it was not right on the part of Damodar to criticise a leader of that stature. What is wrong if Ravi has accepted the invitation of Chiranjeevi and called him a leader with national importance, he asked. He advised Damodar to apologise to Ravi for making such rude comments against him. How can an MLA talk against a union Minister and an emissary of the AICC he questioned.

Some of the Congress MLAs, though they support the cause of Telangana like Damodar, did not appreciate the criticism against Ravi.

They pointed out that Ravi went to the residence of Palvai Goverdhan, who is a Rajya Sabha member and similarly he accepted the invitation of Chiranjeevi. Why should one object to this, they questioned. They opined that Ravi’s moves are part of strengthening the party.

Meanwhile Chiranjeevi had a good word for Ravi and thanked him for accepting the invitation and making positive observations about him.

Tags: by-elections, Congress high command, featured, full-image, Union minister Vayalar Ravi

Category: City, City News