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Congress plans massive rally, CWC meeting ahead of Telangana polls
The PCC spokesperson said the high command responded positively to the proposal and indicated to the PCC to make arrangements
With the elections to the Telangana state assembly nearing, the Congress is gearing up for a massive show of strength in Hyderabad by holding a public rally on September 17, which will be preceded by the first meeting of the newly-constituted Congress Working Committee (CWC), people familiar with the matter said.
“We had put forth a proposal before All India Congress Committee [AICC] president Mallikarjun Kharge during his visit to Telangana last week. A formal letter was also written to the high command later,” Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) official spokesperson B Ayodhya Reddy told HT.
The PCC spokesperson said the high command responded positively to the proposal and indicated to the PCC to make arrangements. “However, we are yet to get the official confirmation, as we understand there are similar requests from the PCCs in other poll-bound states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh,” Reddy said.
The latest developments of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government calling for a special session of Parliament may affect the plans of the party holding the CWC meeting, followed by a public rally at Hyderabad, he said.
As per the proposal put forth by the TPCC to the high command, the CWC will hold its first meeting in Hyderabad on September 16. “It will be a major event for the party, as all top leaders of the party including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and chief ministers of various Congress-ruled states will attend it,” Reddy said.
On September 17, the PCC is planning to hold a huge public rally at Secunderabad Parade Grounds which would be addressed by Sonia Gandhi. “The day also holds historical significance as it was on this day that Hyderabad was merged with Indian Union in 1948. Sonia, with whose initiative the Telangana state had become a reality in 2014, would make a fervent appeal to the people to bless the Congress which granted separate statehood to the region,” the PCC spokesman said.
Since all the CWC members would be present on the dais, the PCC would make unprecedented arrangements for the meeting. “It is going to be a massive show of strength by the party. On the same day, the PCC will announce its five promises to the people of Telangana, as was done during the Karnataka assembly elections,” Reddy said.
As per the schedule, more than 100 Congress leaders from different parts of the country would tour all over Telangana to kickstart the election campaign from September 18. “However, the entire schedule depends on the special Parliament sessions and the party high command’s decision,” he said, adding that if there is any change in the programme at the last moment, it would be rescheduled to a later date this month.
