Karnataka-like focus on Telangana

Hyderabad: Following the Karnataka formula, the AICC has embarked on a major exercise to ensure that the party leaders put their differences on the backburner and go to polls unitedly. The AICC has decided to directly plan and coordinate in implementation of the party strategies from July till the polls are over. Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi will be playing an active role as they did in Karnataka and would be addressing several public meetings beginning July 2.

To iron out the differences between senior leaders in the party, the Congress party has convened a meeting of the strategy committee on Tuesday. This meeting assumes importance as the former TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy has been alleging that rumours were floated that he would quit Congress and join BRS. The source of this rumour, he claims, was from the Congress war room in Hyderabad which works under the direct command of TPCC president A Revanth Reddy.

In the past, even other leaders like Komatireddy Venkat Reddy had levelled several allegations against the TPCC president. However, after the party in-charge for Telangana Manikrao Thakre had been appointed, there has been considerable change. Tuesday’s meeting is expected to bring a sort of truce between different groups in the TPCC.

The series of public meetings would begin from Khammam on July 2. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi are likely to attend this meeting. Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, who is considered to be a powerful leader from Khammam district, would join the party at Khammam meeting. Another leader Jupally Krishna Rao will organise another mammoth public meeting at Mahbubnagar soon and will formally join the party.

Among the other leaders who will join the Congress include six-time former MLA Gurnath Reddy, ex-MLA and Zilla Parishad Chairman Koram Kanakaiah, former MLA Payam Venkateshwarlu, District Cooperative Central Bank (DCCB) ex-chairman Muvament Vijaya Baby, sitting DCCB Chairman Thulluri Bramhaiah, ex-chairman of SC Corporation Pidamarthi Ravi, Markfed state Vice Chairperson Borra Rajshekhar and Municipal Chairperson, Warya and Mandal Praja Parishad Chairman S Jaipal.

All these leaders led by Srinivas Reddy and Jupally met Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday at New Delhi. Later Rahul also met other TPCC leaders separately and hosted tea for them.

The TPCC leaders are learnt to have discussed the Congress party’s strategy and the efforts being made to take up the Ghar Wapsi programme.

An indication of the change of mind of the T Congress leaders was evident from the fact that many who were kept away from the padayatra of CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarka till Sunday have started joining Bhatti in his padayatra. According to Manikrao Thakre, their surveys have indicated that the anti-incumbency factor was high and Congress should give a united fight to see that the anti-BRS votes do not get split.

He also informed the high command that after Karnataka results, the rank and file of the party in Telangana was in full ‘Josh’ and if differences were ironed out, the party would certainly emerge as a major force and can even come to power.