HYDERABAD: Aiming to send a strong message to the party cadres that they are united, top Telangana Congress leaders held an informal luncheon meeting to discuss campaign strategies and inductions into the party ahead of the next Assembly elections. The senior Congress leaders brainstormed on various contemporary sociopolitical issues during the meeting that lasted for over two and a half hours.
In furtherance to their meeting, the Congress leaders decided to finalise the decisions in the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) meeting which is likely to be held on July 23. A decision to this effect was taken to make all the stakeholders inclusive of the party programmes.
They discussed the issues to be incorporated in the ‘Women’s Declaration’ which would be announced at a public meeting tentatively on July 30 by AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi at Kollapur. They also explored the possibilities of embarking on a ‘bus yatra’ across the State to campaign their narratives.
The meeting was attended by TPCC president A Revanth Reddy, AICC Telangana in-charge Manikrao Thakre, CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarka, MP N Uttam Kumar Reddy, K Jana Reddy, Damodara Rajanarsimha, SA Sampath, Ponnala Lakshmaiah, Mohd Ali Shabbir, and others.
Before the commencement of the meeting, Venkat Reddy, the host, said that they have candidates in all 120 Assembly constituencies and there was no need to take new leaders into the party.
With his statement, it was evident that there is some antipathy to new joinings, particularly from Nalgonda district.
Sources who attended the meeting said that several leaders have raised their objections to inductions into the party bypassing the joinings committee. The sources said that they have also discussed the potential joinings from Nalgonda district and decided that the new inductions would be taken up after discussions in the PAC.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Venkat Reddy said that they discussed the action plan for the next 100 days. He said that they discussed driving the party to victory in the upcoming elections.
“By winning, I mean it’s not just Congress, but the people of Telangana,” Venkat Reddy said. He added that they will compile the opinions and suggestions of the leaders to take up in PAC. When asked about potential joinings, Venkat Reddy said that the BRS supremo will be alerted if they reveal details.
Joinings on Thursday
According to sources, Jogulamba-Gadwal ZP chairperson Saritha, who resigned from the primary membership of BRS on Wednesday, will be joining Congress in Delhi. It is learnt that former warehouse corporation chairperson Mandula Samelu is also likely to join the grand old party. TPCC president A Revanth Reddy will accompany them to Delhi on Thursday.