All India Congress Committee vice president Rahul Gandhi arrived to a rousing reception from the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) leadership, ahead of the Chalo Sangareddy public meeting on Thursday afternoon.
Considering the Special Protection Group security cover, only those with special passes were allowed into the airport. Even then, unlike earlier occasions, mediapersons were denied entry into the complex, what with the City police assisting the SPG with heavy bandobust.
Those who were present at the airport to receive him were Leaders of the party in the Legislature Mohd. Ali Shabbir (Council) and K. Jana Reddy (Assembly), Chairman of the AICC's SC Cell, K. Raju, TPCC President N. Uttam Kumar Reddy and a host of senior leaders, including elected members.
At the entrance to the airport complex, Mr. Gandhi was accorded a traditional welcome by those from Mahila Congress who applied vermilion on his forehead. As the convoy took right right turn out of the airport, the road was choked with a large number of motorcyclists waving flags riding ahead of the VIP car.
All through the route till the Somajiguda circle, the convoy moved in bursts of speed, often being stopped by excited party workers who wanted to shake hands with the AICC Vice-President and even take selfies with him. The leader obliged most of them even as the SPG personnel and local police cleared a path ahead of the convoy.
The bike rally and convoy stopped at Somajiguda where Mr. Gandhi got down and garlanded the statue of his father and former Prime Mininster Rajiv Gandhi at the circle, flanked by senior leader V. Hanumantha Rao and the party's Greater Hyderabad unit President Danam Nagender, as other leaders in the convoy joined them.
After about 10 minutes, the convoy moved on, through the Panjagutta circle, wending its way through the Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills and a few other Assembly constituencies before getting on to the Outer Ring Road to reach Sangareddy, about 50 km away.
