Hyderabad: Factional rivalry within the Congress came to the fore on Saturday when a constituency-level meeting in Khairatabad turned chaotic, as supporters of MLA Danam Nagender and party leader Vijaya Reddy clashed publicly, exposing deep internal rifts.The incident has been reported to the TPCC disciplinary action committee by party loyalists, and action is likely after an internal inquiry. AICC secretary in-charge of Telangana, Meenakshi Natarajan, cautioned party leaders against any behaviour that could damage the party’s image.Though the meeting resumed after intervention by Khairatabad district Congress president C Rohin Reddy, the growing rivalry between the Danam and Vijaya Reddy camps has become a matter of concern within party circles.Danam, who joined the Congress from BRS ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, won the Khairatabad seat in 2023 on a BRS ticket by defeating Vijaya Reddy, who had earlier switched to Congress from the YSRCP.Tensions flared when some of Vijaya Reddy’s supporters began addressing the gathering, prompting objections from Danam’s camp, which insisted on adhering to party protocol. The disagreement quickly escalated into slogan-shouting and a verbal clash between the two factions, stalling the proceedings.Rohin Reddy intervened to restore order, warning of disciplinary action against those violating party decorum. The meeting continued after Danam invited Vijaya Reddy to speak, following which discussions resumed without further incident.
