AICC in-charge of Telangana R.C. Khuntia has categorically said that the Congress would not wage a war against the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti at this juncture as it is more focussed on setting its own house in order.
“We are not declaring a war against the TRS immediately but would like to set right our own house,” Mr. Khuntia said at an interaction with the media here on Monday.
The AICC in-charge spelt out the party’s strategy to regain its past glory in the State, bring about unity among the warring leaders, take forward Rahul Gandhi’s message given at the June 1 Sangareddy public meeting and aim for winning the 2019 elections.
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Mass contact programme
Mr. Khuntia said the first priority is to strengthen the party from the grass roots level.
“As the AICC secretary, I am well versed with the affairs of Telangana,” he said, pointing out that shortly the entire State leadership would embark on the massive mass contact programme in all the mandals of the State. Stating that TRS is enjoying the fruits of bifurcation sown by the then UPA Government and the AICC president Sonia Gandhi, Mr. Khuntia said that people have now realised that the creation of a separate State was the gift of the Congress party. “They are now coming out of the illusion created by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao,” he remarked.
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He admitted that the Congress party failed to take advantage of the bifurcation of the State.
He said the Congress Chief Minister at the time of the bifurcation had opposed it which caused embarrassment to the leadership. The TRS chief took advantage of it and won the elections.
‘Uttam doing well’
The AICC in charge said the party is gearing up to announce its candidates much ahead of the elections. To a question, he said TPCC chief N. Uttam Kumar Reddy is doing well and expected that all the seniors would collectively work towards bringing the party to power in 2019 elections.
The party is now planning to take forward the call given by Mr. Rahul Gandhi at Sangareddy in June and enlighten people about the “chargesheet” released at the same meeting.
Mr. Khuntia said all the committees would be in place shortly and the coordination committee would also be downsized to make it more compact. The AICC secretary Satish Jharkholi, TPCC chief Uttam Kumar Reddy, AICC secretary for Karnataka Madhu Yaskhi Goud, TPCC spokesperson Mallu Ravi and former Minister J. Geeta Reddy and others were present.
Mr. Khuntia also clarified that the TPCC president was performing very well and would lead the party till the 2019 elections.
To a question, he said there was nothing wrong in leaders aspiring to be Chief Ministerial candidate but the party high command would take the final call. He exuded confidence that the party would return to power in the 2019 elections.
Earlier, he reviewed the functioning of the frontal organisations at Gandhi Bhavan.