A cold war of sorts appears to be brewing within the ruling Congress in Telangana, with Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy allegedly engaged in shadow-boxing with Pradesh Congress Committee chief B Mahesh Kumar Goud.
The dispute came to the fore after a television channel, Big TV, which is known for its backing of Revanth Reddy, aired a day-long controversial report against Mahesh Kumar Goud on Wednesday, triggering protests from the PCC chief’s group.
Big TV aired a series of reports highlighting the alleged failures of the PCC chief, labelling him a “Disaster President.” The channel also broadcast a “12 failures charge sheet,” accusing him of poor leadership and internal party discord.
The channel described Mahesh Goud’s 20-month tenure as a “failure,” claiming that the Congress party’s political graph was falling under his leadership. It also accused Goud of failing to act as a bridge between MLAs and district leadership, neglecting Gandhi Bhavan operations, and being mostly unavailable to party workers.
The channel further criticised Goud for frequently travelling abroad instead of conducting district tours to strengthen the grassroots cadre.
According to reports, the sudden attack on Mahesh Goud could be linked to his strong pitch for making a BC leader the next Chief Minister of Telangana. Apparently, it was an attempt to weaken Goud’s image and replace him with a leader perceived to be closer to the Chief Minister’s camp, such as Ponnam Prabhakar.
Meanwhile, AICC OBC National Coordinator Katthi Venkat Swamy defended Mahesh Kumar Goud’s leadership. He said district, divisional and mandal-level committees in the party had been strengthened after Goud assumed office.
He also said Goud, in coordination with AICC in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan, had been effectively managing party affairs in the state. He alleged that efforts to portray Goud as a failed leader ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections were part of a larger conspiracy.
Sushmita, daughter of Telangana minister Konda Surekha, also supported Mahesh Kumar Goud. She shared a social media post backing him, despite previously making direct allegations against the Chief Minister and some ministers.
Another political figure, Rohin Reddy, who is widely perceived to be close to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, also shared a social media image that was interpreted as support for Mahesh Kumar Goud.
However, Mahesh Kumar Goud issued a message to party cadre on Friday, indirectly criticising the channel for allegedly misusing media freedom and publishing politically motivated reports against him.
He reportedly appealed to Congress workers not to get provoked by such campaigns and said he would continue to work for strengthening the party at all levels.
The latest developments have triggered fresh debate within Congress circles, with many leaders wondering whether the differences between the Chief Minister’s camp and the PCC chief’s camp are now coming out into the open.
