The Minorities Cell of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee appears to have lost its clout within the party.
Many top leaders skipped the party's fourth convention held at the party's headquarters, Gandhi Bhavan. Those who abstained from the inaugural ceremony include Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, PCC president Botsa Satyanarayana, Minorities Welfare minister S M Ahmadullah, Minorities Commission chairman Abid Rasool Khan, and former minister and PCC vice-president Mohammad Ali Shabbir.
Although the Minorities Cell leaders maintained that these leaders would participate in the function any time during the day, their absence during the inaugural ceremony clearly indicated the lack of importance given to the party's Minorities Cell. (INN)