Is Uttam Kumar Reddy, till now the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee, looking at an elevation? Will he get a coveted job in Delhi? Will he be given a key post in the Congress Party’s scheme of things and will he be projected as the leader of future along with other young guns in the party?
If sources are to be believed, the Congress Party, which is all set to appoint a new parliamentary party leader in the Lok Sabha, is exploring several options and Uttam Kumar Reddy too is said to be one of them. The current Congress Parliamentary Party leader Adhir Ranjan Choudhury has been appointed as the West Bengal PCC chief. Since, the Congress these days is strictly following one-man-one-post rule, his position would have to be given to someone else. The Congress leadership has begun scouting for a successor to Choudhury.
The Congress has around 50 MPs in Lok Sabha and it has limited options. Several names such as Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tiwari are floating. But the problem is they all belong to the G 23 group, which has defied the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. These leaders have been demanding internal democracy and elections in the party organisation. So, the Congress is looking for a loyal leader, who is both young and trustworthy. Sources say that Rahul Gandhi too is looking for young and new faces to lead the party.
It is in this connection that Uttam Kumar Reddy’s name figures. Uttam till recently has been the Telangana PCC chief. He is elected from Nalgonda Lok Sabha seat and is well-versed with the ways of national politics. As an ex-serviceman from the naval stream and as the key staff member of the former president APJ Abdul Kalam, he has great exposure Delhi and north India. He is fluent in both Hindi and English, a special qualification needed to be parliamentary party’s leader. It remains to be seen if the Lady Luck smiles on Uttam Kumar Reddy. Wouldn’t it be exciting to have a Telugu at the helm of the Congress party affairs in Lok Sabha?
