Sonia asks Cong. leaders to work for party’s win in Medak

The AICC chief is of the opinion that party leaders failed to capitalise on TS formation

All India Congress Committee president Sonia Gandhi has begun paying attention to the prestigious bypoll to the Medak parliamentary constituency by directing all the top Congress leaders from Telangana to put up a united show and wrest the seat at any cost.

With 15 days to go for the elections, Ms. Gandhi personally telephoned Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president Ponnala Lakshmaiah, working chief N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, CLP leader K. Jana Reddy and Leader of the Opposition in Telangana Council D. Srinivas on Friday evening.

She also spoke to former Deputy Chief Minister C. Damodar Raj Narasimha, former Minister J. Geetha Reddy, Medak LS candidate V. Sunitha Laxma Reddy, and former MLA from Dubbak Cheruku Muthyam Reddy.

Party sources said Ms. Gandhi categorically said that all the senior leaders should take the elections seriously and put up a united show.

Advising them to sink whatever differences they have, the party chief wanted the Congress leaders to go the people stating that it was the Congress, which had given Telangana State.

Sources said Ms. Gandhi observed that the party leaders had failed to capitalise on the formation of Telangana and could not take credit for bifurcation.

“Go to the voters and explain the welfare programmes that had been implemented by the Congress government and corner the TRS regime for its failure to fulfil its poll promise,” a senior TPCC functionary told The Hindu quoting Ms. Gandhi.

Tentative programme

Tentative campaign programme launched by the TPCC includes holding constituency-wise meetings from September 1 to 4 in all the seven segments. The party is likely to hold its first meeting in Patancheru and Sangareddy on September 1 followed by another interaction with party men at Gajwel and Dubbak.

The party has also scheduled two meetings at Narsapur and Medak on a single day. The party may hold an exclusive meeting in Siddipet on September 4.

All the top Congress leaders from the new State have been asked to attend the meetings.

As part of its aggressive posturing, Congress party has appointed in-charges for seven assembly segments -- Mr. Damodar Raj Narasimha(Sangareddy), Srinivas Goud (Siddipet), Mr. Muthyam Reddy (Dubbak), Dr. Geetha Reddy (Gajwel), Ms. Sunitha Laxma Reddy(Narsapur), Nandeeswar Goud (Patancheru) and D.K. Aruna or Mr. Shankar Reddy (Medak). They are expected to stay at the constituency headquarters and supervise the campaign. Congress leaders said their focus of campaign would be taking on the TRS and the BJP.

While targeting the TRS, they plan to tell the voters that the pro-Telangana party had merely two Members of Parliament in Parliament and it was because of the Congress that a separate State had become a reality. They plan to hit out at BJP candidate T. Jayaprakash Reddy for his frequent defection to other parties.

They also plan to expose the political inexperience of Kotha Prabhakar Reddy, the TRS candidate.