Congress to conduct Week-long ‘Praja Chaitanya Yatra’ from Nov 14

Hyderabad: The Congress party has decided to take up a series of agitation programmes to raise issues concerning the common people of Telangana. They include a week-long Praja Chaitanya Yatra from November14.

The decisions were taken in the meeting of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) Political Affairs Committee held at Gandhi Bhavan on Wednesday. The meeting, chaired by AICC Incharge & MP Manickam Tagore, was attended by TPCC President A. Revanth Reddy, CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, PAC Convener Mohammed Ali Shabbir, former PCC Presidents Uttam Kumar Reddy, Ponnala Lakshmaiah and V. Hanumantha Rao and other senior leaders.

Later, TPCC PAC Convener Shabbir Ali, Campaign Committee Chairman Madhu Yashki Goud and AICC Spokesperson Dr. Dasoju Sravan addressed a press conference to brief the media about the decisions taken during the meeting.

Shabbir Ali informed that a meeting of Mandal and District level leaders of Congress party would be held on November 9 and 10. Further, a week-long Praja Chaitanya Yatra would be organised from 14th to 21st November across the Telangana State. He said it was decided to launch a series of agitations on the issues concerning farmers, Podu lands and the rising prices of petrol, diesel and other essential commodities.

Commenting on the Huzurabad results, Shabbir Ali said that the by-election was not a contest between the political parties. It was a battle between two individuals – Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao and former minister Eatala Rajender. While CM KCR had spent over Rs. 600 Crore, Eatala Rajender reportedly spent nearly Rs. 300 Crore during the campaign.

He said the tussle between KCR and Rajender started when Rajender objected to KCR’s proposal to make KTR the next Chief Minister. He said Rajender had reportedly told KCR that he had played a major role in Telangana statehood movement and strengthening the TRS.

This tussle led to other problems over sharing of commission and land disputes. He said that the common people had nothing to gain or lose from their personal fight although bye-elections were imposed on them.

Madhu Yashki Goud said that Congress accepted the Huzurabad results and congratulated the party candidate Balmoor Venkat for campaigning hard. He said that the Huzurabad elections were not about anyone’s “self-respect”, but it was all about protecting hundreds of crores of corruption money.

He said TRS leaders had rubber slippers when they entered politics and today everyone is worth hundreds of crores. How did they accumulate so much wealth in such a short time? he asked.

He ridiculed CM KCR and other TRS leaders’ allegations of Congress supporting BJP in Huzurabad bye-elections. He said that the Congress party would never ally with the BJP under any circumstances.

He also informed that AICC Incharge Manickam Tagore has directed the party leaders to restrain from making media statements on party’s affairs and they must be raised only in the party forum.

AICC Spokesperson Dr. Dasoju Sravan alleged that the Election Commission of India ignored the complaints lodged by the Congress party on ruling TRS and BJP parties misusing power to harass opponents and influence voters. He said several complaints, with proof, were shared with the ECI authorities on the distribution of money and liquor among voters by the TRS and BJP.

However, he said that the ECI did not take any action and no efforts were made to conduct the bye-elections in a free and fair manner.