“Whether there is alliance or not with the TRS, Congress party will certainly get overwhelming mandate in the coming elections to form its own Government,” Telangana Congress Committee working president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said.
Dismissing fears that Congress would face an uphill task in the elections, if it does enter into electoral alliance with the TRS, Mr. Reddy said: “In all the 119 Assembly constituencies and in all gram panchayats, Congress cadre was strong and intact. There is dedicated vote bank and it is a historical fact that every Congress worker knows the hardship faced by Ms Sonia Gandhi to keep her word on bifurcation.”
In an interview to The Hindu , Mr. Reddy said people have seen all the drama in Assembly and Parliament. “They have realised that without Ms. Gandhi, Telangana would not have been created. Because of her the six decades old dream has come true. This will be reflected in elections in terms of positive vote for Congress,” he said.
He said there was strong reaction from the party against any alliance with TRS. “It is a known fact that TRS has limited presence in the region. Unlike Congress, it does not enjoy grass roots level support in all the gram panchayats. The coming local bodies’ polls will prove who is a force to reckon with,” he said talking about the lack of TRS units across Telangana.
Mr. Reddy, who represents Huzurnagar constituency in Nalgonda and is a former Indian Air Force fighter pilot, said the Congress was very clear on the alliance issue. “We are not pleading with him to enter into an alliance with us. We only said if like-minded parties come together we are ready to go with them. If they send any concrete proposals, we will examine it,” he said.
Cadre upbeatHe pointed out that after State bifurcation, there was mass upsurge in favour of the Congress in villages. “Congress cadre are enthusiastic and there is a wave in favour of us. We are on a sound footing and we can easily win the elections single handedly,” he said.
Mr. Reddy said the Congress had adequate capable leadership to provide stable government. “Congress will provide safe, secure, stable and progressive government in Telangana,” he said.
