HYDERABAD: Even as the TDP and the YSRC are vying for the Kapu pie, the Congress is now expected to get into brainstorming mode to reclaim the support of the numerically dominant Kapus, who till recently formed the bulwark of the party’s support base. Rahul Gandhi’s Tuesday visit to Anantapur is likely to be used for this strategising.
Rahul, who will be visiting Bandlapalli village in the district to mark the decennial of the UPA’s flagship rural job scheme MGNREGA on Tuesday, has to now deal with the Kapu reservation issue which has taken the centre stage of the State’s politics.
The MGNREGA decennial was planned to resuscitate the moribund Congress in post-bifurcation AP and attack Narendra Modi. But with Kapu reservation issue taking a new turn, all eyes are on how Rahul will approach the issue. The State Congress sees Rahul’s visit as an opportunity to reach out to weaker sections and Kapus.
“The Congress vice-president, who will be accompanied by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other top leaders of the AICC, is likely to meet party leaders belonging to Kapu community during his visit and take stock of the situation. We expect him to guide us on how to take on the government on this key issue as Kapus were formerly die-hard supporters of the Congress,” a Congress leader said.