Former minister Danam Nagender, who
resigned from the Congress yesterday, alleged that a single caste was dominating the party and that there was no representation to other sections of the people.
Speaking to the media for the first time after tendering his resignation, Danam said that the former Chief Minister late Y S Rajasekhar Reddy had responded immediately when he had complained that officers of a single community were getting promotions in the police department. However the situation had changed after YSR's demise, and now the entire party was facing that problem, he claimed. Even in its bus yatra the party was giving importance to only that community, and there was no priority to leaders of other sections in the meetings of yatra, he said. All of that was resulting in the party activists losing their faith in the party, he said.
Danam said that the backward and the poor sections of the people were distancing themselves from the Congress due to little importance being given to BC leaders in the party. Senior leaders D Srinivas and K Keshava Rao had left the party for that very reason, he pointed out. Even former PCC president Ponnala Laxmaiah was not getting due importance in the party, he said, alleging that the party leaders hadn't even informed Ponnala about the meeting held at Warangal city. He said that he had informed the same to AICC chief Rahul Gandhi six months ago, and in response Gandhi had asked the TPCC to submit a report in this regard.
Danam also said that AICC secretary V Hanumantha Rao's condition in the party was pathetic, and that the latter was a leader only in name.
Danam however had words of praise for TPCC president Uttam Kumar Reddy, who he said was working like a soldier to strengthen the party. It was some other leaders that were suppressing leaders from the BCs and weaker sections, he said.
Meanwhile, it was confirmed today by his followers that Danam will join the TRS on Sunday in the presence of Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao.