VIJAYAWADA: Congress president Rahul Gandhi will visit Andhra Pradesh and address a large public meeting in Kurnool on September 18, the first show of strength of the grand old party ahead of the 2019 elections. It will be the maiden visit of Rahul Gandhi after he became the party president.
Though the visit is part of the party’s pan-India protest condemning the alleged role of Modi government in the Rafale scam, the focus will be on special category status for AP with coming elections in mind.
With their party chief all set to visit the State in less than one month, Congress cadre is brimming with confidence of witnessing the party’s revival in the State. “We are confident of the people’s support. A recent survey has shown that 97.8 per cent of the people of the State believe that only the Congress can achieve special category status to AP, while 50 per cent of the people reposed faith in Rahul Gandhi’s leadership. Now, our aim is to improve that to 97.8 per cent,” APCC chief N Raghuveera Reddy said.
Speaking to reporters here on Thursday, after the one-day orientation programme for Assembly constituency in-charges with regard to the formation of booth-level committees, Raghuveera maintained that the Congress graph in the State is fast improving. “People of the State no longer hold us responsible for the State bifurcation as they understood the reality. They now see the Congress as the only alternative in the State. Our focus is now on strengthening the party,” he explained.
On being asked if they are going for the alliance, the Congress State chief reiterated that they will contest 2019 elections on their own in all 175 Assembly constituencies and 25 Lok Sabha constituencies. With regard to some leaders leaving the party, he maintained that it will not affect the Congress. “Leaders leaving the party might not be a bad thing for the Congress. We are confident that new leaders would emerge and people’s trust in the party will improve,” he said.
According to him, as part of a nation-wide protest against the NDA government over ‘Rafale scam’, district-level protest programmes will be taken up from September 7 to 15 and State-level agitation from September 16 to 30. “How can NDA government involve Reliance in the deal sidelining the HAL?” he questioned.
The orientation programme for Congress leaders in the State was held with an objective - Mission 2019.
The party cadre was asked to conduct training for a minimum of 2,500 booth committee members per constituency and cover each and every household through the door-to-door campaign by November 19. Party ticket aspirants were asked to take the initiative and bear the cost, which is expected to be around `10 lakh per constituency.
Kerala floods: KVP, family donate rice worth G5 lakh
Congress Rajya Sabha member KVP Ramachandra Rao and his family have donated rice worth H5 lakh to the Kerala flood victims and APCC donated blankets worth H1 lakh. The donations were handed over to Kerala former Chief Minister and AICC general secretary Oommen Chandy. APCC general secretary Gidugu Rudraraju donated H30,000. Raghuveera Reddy, who called upon party activists to donate liberally to flood-hit Kerala, said that on the suggestion of Rahul Gandhi, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee had decided to construct 10,000 houses each costing H5 lakh for the flood victims
Congress leader stages suicide drama, expelled from party
G Sivachari, APCC BC cell convener, and PCC member, created a flutter at the meeting when he accused the party leadership in Nellore of discriminating against him. Carrying a pesticide tin with him, he threatened to commit suicide if justice is not done. Leaders pacified him. However, the leader from the Nellore was shown the door, with the APCC chief announcing that he along with three others - G Keshav Narayan, Mumith Shaw and Sk Asif Pasha -- were expelled from the party. It is learnt that Sivachari was suspended by the APCC on disciplinary grounds