Congress has ensured that the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) was not made part of the Opposition parties’ meeting in Patna recently as it was sure that BRS would anyway sail with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was said to have informed Telangana Congress leaders.
How can anyone even think of Congress allying with the BRS. and the message that BRS and BJP were one and this fact should be taken to people forcefully, Mr. Gandhi was said to have told Telangana Congress Coordination meeting held in New Delhi in the presence of AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, AICC General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal, and AICC Telangana incharge Manikrao Thakare.
“By defeating the BRS we will be defeating the BJP as well,” Mr. Gandhi said, according to a senior leader who was part of the two-and-a-half-hour meeting that also saw him sending a message to all senior leaders present there not to squabble or air their differences in the media. Those crossing the line would be viewed seriously. “We are available here to listen to your grievances. “You can reach out to me, Mr. Kharge or Mr. Venugopal to share your thoughts rather than going to media.”
Assuring total support to senior leaders, Mr. Gandhi further said he personally knew all of them and was also aware of their contributions to the party, and described them as precious assets. There was no need for anyone to feel insecure and their services would be recognised. “Winning Telangana was important and we will win it.”
Mr. Gandhi and Mr. Kharge also patiently listened to all the participants who gave suggestions on poll preparations including social engineering and the declarations to various communities like the Farmers Declaration already made. More or less, the party had decided to adopt the Karnataka model of poll campaign focussing on every section and exposing ‘corruption’ of the BRS government.
A senior leader said there was a unanimous suggestion on going to people with the theme ‘Vote for Congress if you want people’s rule or vote for KCR if you want family rule.’ There were also suggestions on announcing the candidates’ names a few months in advance like Karnataka where 180 names were announced three months ahead of the polls.
Later, addressing a press conference, TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy, Uttam Kumar Reddy, Renuka Chowdary, V. Hanmanth Rao, Madhu Yaskhi Goud, Sreedhar Babu, Sampath Kumar, K. Jana Reddy, and T. Jeevan Reddy, among others, said the meeting was the beginning of the end of the BRS rule.
