Cong should grow in TG and AP: Revanth

Hyderabad: Raising eyebrows in political circles, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy remarked on Saturday that the Congress party “must grow stronger in both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh”, while asserting that the two states could progress together.

He was addressing the inaugural session of a 10-day District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents’ training programme at Haritha Resorts in Vikarabad. The training camp, organised under the aegis of party leaders, including Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president B Mahesh Kumar Goud and other senior functionaries, will focus on leadership skills, public grievance redressal, election strategy, and media management. The Chief Minister recounted that the Congress had split organisationally following the bifurcation of the State. “Now the party should be strengthened in both States,” he observed.

Highlighting the party’s electoral performance in TG, Revanth said the vote share gap between the Congress and its main opponent in the Telangana Assembly elections was two per cent, which increased to four per cent in the Lok Sabha elections and to 12 per cent in the municipal polls.

He attributed this steady growth to the trust reposed in the party by its workers and the public.

Revanth Reddy said the party leadership would closely monitor the functioning of DCC presidents and emphasised that there was “no quota system in the Congress party, only merit”. He cautioned office-bearers against misusing their positions or undermining internal democracy.

“DCC presidents should not assume they are heads of the district or try to suppress dissent. The party will do justice based on merit,” he said, recalling that after becoming PCC president, he had personally reached out to leaders to consolidate support. He claimed that collective efforts had helped the party increase its vote share significantly and eventually led to its return to power in Telangana.

Referring to the party’s legacy, he said the Congress, founded 140 years ago, played a key role in India’s Independence movement. He criticised parties advocating a “Congress-free India” and alleged attempts to undermine the Constitution.

The Chief Minister praised AP Congress chief Y S Sharmila for her efforts in strengthening the party, including a 3,000-km padayatra in Telangana. He lauded Rahul Gandhi for undertaking a 4,000-km nationwide yatra. The Chief Minister said, “Despite the possibility of getting positions without knowing the difficulty and the history of sacrifices, Rahul Gandhi did a 4,000-km padayatra. He referred to the contributions and sacrifices of leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, and Rajiv Gandhi. YS Rajasekhara Reddy's padayatra, his welfare programs and development should be mentioned in the successes of the Congress.”

Revanth Reddy said the Telangana Congress had enrolled 42 lakh members digitally across 119 constituencies and that leaders who performed well as DCC presidents had been given opportunities as MLAs and in corporations.

Alleging that the Bharatiya Janata Party was targeting the Congress and its leadership, Revanth Reddy claimed there were attempts to politically sideline the Gandhi family and silence opposition voices. The Chief Minister highlighted the State government’s initiatives, including the caste census and implementation of SC classification. He said nearly 49.83 per cent of sarpanch posts and 63 per cent of municipal seats were won by BCs and OBCs respectively, attributing the outcomes to the policies of the Congress.