Fact Sheet: Cong checkmates Madhu Yashki

When Nizamabad MP Madhu Yashki was inducted into the AICC executive committee as one of the secretaries, everybody thought it was a slap on the face of Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy and a fillip to the Telangana movement, as Yashki is a die hard supporter of Telangana and a bitter critic of YSR government.

But a close analysis of the high command's decision reveals that there is more to it than what meets the eye. Madhu Yashki was taken into the AICC, not to criticize YSR or clamour for Telangana, but only to silence his voice. There had been reports for quite some time that Madhu was planning to join the Telangana Rashtra Samithi before the next Parliament and Assembly elections and that he already had talks with its president K Chandrasekhar Rao in this regard. There were also reports that if his entry into the TRS is not feasible, he might even join hands with Telugu Desam deputy leader T Devender Goud to float another party.

The Congress high command has thought that the only way to block his plans is to give him some prominent post in the AICC, so that he dare not raise his voice against the Chief Minister, nor can he run a dissident camp in the State. Since he would be closer to the high command, he would also be not in a position to raise the issue of Telangana as often as he is doing right now. The option of kicking him out, if he continues with his dissidence is always there. Since he is joining the AICC executive, he would not be in a position to bargain with KCR or Devender Goud for posts or tickets. That will be his end!