“Her appointment itself generated a lot of chatter. Obviously, she is preparing reports to be shared with the high command,” said a Congress MP from Telangana.
“The idea is to listen to complaints, grievances and iron out the differences in the Congress ranks that are being exploited by the Opposition. The party has not been able to counter the Opposition even on social media, which should not have been the case.”
In her interactions, sources said, Natarajan has emphasised the need to encourage people with strong grassroots connections and ideological fidelity in the Congress’s state unit.
Under the leadership of newly appointed AICC Incharge Meenakshi Natarajan ji, chaired the Medak Lok Sabha constituency review meeting at Gandhi Bhavan. With ministers, MLAs, MLCs, DCC presidents, contested candidates, and Congress-affiliated leaders, we reinforced our commitment… pic.twitter.com/ABnRK725RD
— Bomma Maheshkumar goud (@Bmaheshgoud6666) March 4, 2025
However, the party’s decision to name actor-turned-politician Vijayashanti as one of the three candidates for the upcoming elections to the state Legislative Council has landed Natarajan, who was named the AICC in-charge in February, in a spot.
“Vijayashanthi is anything but a committed, grassroots face. She started her political career with the BJP, switched to TRS (now BRS), and joined the Congress, only to quit,” another senior Congress leader, who is close to Revanth Reddy, said.
“Now she’s being rewarded with an MLC post. Just because her community is listed as Backward Class does not qualify her to become the party’s Backward Class face.”
Vijayashanti’s name also caught the CM by surprise, sources in the Telangana Congress said, adding that Reddy was lobbying for faces in his camp, such as Vem Narender Reddy—an adviser to the state government.
But the party’s leadership is also aware that the decision bears the stamp of not just Natarajan but the Gandhi family, with whom Vijayashanti maintains close ties.
Other than Vijayashanti, the Congress has named Addanki Dayakar (Scheduled Caste) and Kethavath Shankar Naik (Scheduled Tribe) as its MLC candidates while setting aside one for the alliance partner Communist Party of India (CPI).
While Vijayashanti’s election is a foregone conclusion due to the commanding numbers that the Congress enjoys in the Telangana Assembly, many in the party’s state unit are anticipating more such decisions that could bring other differences between the local and central leaderships to the surface.
Watch CutTheClutter: Why Congress in the lead will be crucial for INDIA bloc’s survival through 2029
Similar experiments in other states
Telangana is not alone. The Congress high command appears to be carrying out similar experiments elsewhere too, including in Karnataka. A leader of the Congress Karnataka unit told ThePrint, “The objective of the exercise is to check delivery on manifesto promises, new initiatives and district-specific data, and to keep a tab on the performance of each minister.”
Congress Karnataka general secretary in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala has compiled performance review reports of 31 ministers in the state cabinet, a minister in the Siddaramaiah-led cabinet said on the condition of anonymity.
In Karnataka, the instructions about submitting the report were given in November last year. “They also enquired about the regions we toured, the number of districts we visited, and other initiatives taken by us to connect with the people,” said another Karnataka minister, who asked not to be named.
With constant squabbling and infighting within the Congress in Karnataka—primarily over the CM’s chair with Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar eager to replace Siddaramaiah—the exercise is also likely to prove handy in removing non-performing ministers and placating dissidents, the minister said.
“There is nothing wrong in them (high command) finding out what we have done. There is nothing controversial. It does not undermine the CM or deputy CM,” the second minister quoted above said. “Ultimately, the CM, along with the party, makes someone a minister. Nobody (in Karnataka) is complaining or having any problems.”
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
Also Read: From 2004 to 2024, bad news has come wrapped as good news for Congress
