HYDERABAD: Notwithstanding the hard knocks that the Congress had suffered in the recent electoral battlefields, TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy is confident of his party winning a majority number of municipalities and corporations in the forthcoming elections.
The TPCC president, who had declared recently that he would soon be vacating Gandhi Bhavan, appears keen on leaving his mark before making a grand exit. "I cannot tell you the number but I am sure we will win a majority of the 120 municipalities and 10 corporations. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s claims of winning all the civic bodies is baseless. We will not let him have a free run," Uttam pointed out, while speaking to Express.
He says his confidence of winning the elections stem from the preparation his party has done for the local body polls. "The pre-poll homework has been quite systematic. We have gone through the entire process meticulously, leaving no grey areas," he said.
The TPCC president is keen on exposing the 'covert relationship' between the TRS and BJP to gain an edge over the ruling party. "I have said this in the past and I am saying it now. The TRS has supported the BJP whenever the latter needed its support. They did it when presidential, vice-presidential, Rajya Sabha deputy chairman elections came up, when the Centre demonetised high-value currency notes, and when the Bills of GST and Triple Talaq were tabled. After all this, KCR takes an volte face and votes against the CAA. If his anti-BJP credentials are genuine, let him call a special session of the Assembly to discuss the CAA and NRC," he said.
This apart, the TPCC president says that the Congress is poised to make a difference now because the focus is on promises not kept by the TRS government. "The Chief Minister, before he came to power for a second term, promised an unemployment dole of Rs 3,016 but had not paid even a single rupee to any youth. Telangana became possible only because unemployed youths lent their shoulder to the movement," he said.
The Congress will explain to the people that the TRS government has done nothing for any municipality despite the fact that 40 per cent of the population live in towns and cities. "Let KCR or KTR say, 'Look we have done this to improve the quality of life of the people'," Uttam said, jeering at the Chief Minister. He said this was nothing but a betrayal of trust of the youths, after promising one job for every household.
Referring to the finalisation of the reservations, he said: "There is no doubt that the TRS had resorted to foul-play by denying us time. The court gives us the go ahead at 7 pm and the State Election Commission (SEC) issues notification within an hour. Nominations begin the next morning. Why this tearing hurry?" he asks.