Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy met Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, in New Delhi on 12 June, days after the rejection of Meenakshi Natarajan's Rajya Sabha nomination from Madhya Pradesh triggered a political storm within the party. The meeting is being closely watched as the Congress central leadership has launched an internal probe into what it suspects may be deliberate sabotage.

The Meeting and What Revanth Reddy Said

Revanth Reddy posted on social media that he had the honour of meeting Gandhi. 'As ever, it is energising and inspiring to meet my leader, Shri Rahul Gandhiji. I discussed issues relating to the development of Telangana with the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. And as always, his insightful feedback and direction will guide all of us,' the Chief Minister wrote.

While the post framed the meeting as a routine discussion on Telangana's development, it comes at a politically charged moment for the state unit of the Indian National Congress (INC).

Why Natarajan's Nomination Was Rejected

The returning officer rejected Meenakshi Natarajan's Rajya Sabha nomination on the ground that she failed to disclose a case pending before the Telangana High Court in her affidavit. The omission, whether deliberate or inadvertent, rendered her nomination technically defective.

The fallout intensified when Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in Madhya Pradesh claimed they had received documents relating to the pending case from a Congress leader in Telangana — a claim that, if verified, would point to internal sabotage within the party's own ranks.

Congress Launches Internal Probe

The All India Congress Committee (AICC) has reportedly taken serious note of the development and constituted a committee to investigate whether there was any deliberate leak. The Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) has also reportedly been asked to probe allegations that court papers were shared by someone within the party.

According to reports, Rahul Gandhi has taken a particularly serious view of the matter, as Natarajan was reportedly his direct choice for the Rajya Sabha seat. Notably, the AICC has since named Natarajan as one of the observers for Punjab, signalling that the central leadership continues to back her despite the controversy.

The Pending Court Case: Background

Natarajan is one of seven respondents in a harassment case filed by a woman leader of the Congress against a party colleague in Hyderabad. The case was filed against Congress leader Kumbham Shivkumar Reddy, with Natarajan and six others named as respondents for allegedly failing to act on the allegations.

The Fourth Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court had, last year, issued a notice to Natarajan directing her to appear and file a counter-affidavit. The notice, served at the state Congress headquarters, Gandhi Bhavan, surfaced on social media following the rejection of her nomination.

Natarajan's counter-affidavit — prepared by her law firm and submitted to the court in October last year — stated that her name was added to the complaint with 'malafide intent'. All named respondents, including Natarajan, had filed counter-affidavits.

Complainant Raises Fresh Allegations

The woman who originally filed the private complaint described the rejection of Natarajan's nomination as 'sad'. She also claimed that a personal assistant of a Congress party leader visited the court on 6 June to collect documents relating to the case, and suggested the claim could be verified through CCTV footage from the court premises.

The complainant, who says she remains a Congress member, declined to name the party leader whose aide allegedly collected the documents. The episode has deepened the sense of internal discord within the Telangana Congress unit at a time when the party is already navigating a delicate factional balance in the state.

With the AICC probe under way and Revanth Reddy now having met Gandhi directly, the coming days will likely determine whether the Congress can contain the damage or whether the Natarajan episode becomes a longer-running fault line within its Telangana organisation.