Mallu Bhatti, Revanth not in padayatra competition: Thakre

PIPRI (ADILABAD): AICC Telangana affairs in-charge Manikrao Thakre on Thursday evening flagged off senior leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka’s Haath Se Haath Jodo padayatra amid huge fanfare and the drum beats of Adivasis, who were present in large numbers, here at Pipri village.

Thakre, on the occasion, said that Bhatti’s padayatra was not a competitive one launched against TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy, and said that multiple leaders are taking up padayatras to reach out to people across Telangana within two months.

Senior Congress leaders Uttam Kumar Reddy, Damodhar Rajanarsimha, MLC Jeevan Reddy and Kodanda Reddy were conspicuous by their absence. The four leaders were present when Aleti Maheshwar Reddy, AICC programme implementation committee chairman, launched his padayatra from Bhainsa on March 3.

Maheshwar Reddy, who abruptly ended his padayatra four days after launch, was also absent even as Bhatti visited his residence in Nirmal and requested him to take part in the event.

Besides, senior leaders Ch. Ramchandra Reddy and Naresh Jadhav, and former Adilabad market committee chairman Sanjeev Reddy did not take part in the launch, and it was unclear if they would join the padayatra in the next few days.

Thakre, meanwhile, urged Congress leaders to plan padayatras keeping their “power” in mind.    

Bhatti started the padayatra at 6 pm, after garlanding a Kisan statue, and subsequently, statues of Dr B.R. Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi. He interacted with elderly residents and took stock of Dalit women’s issues near the Ambedkar statue.

Pipri village is located in Bajharhathnoor mandal of the Boath Assembly constituency. It is located around three kilometres from the Ichoda mandal headquarters, where road-corner meetings are held.

AICC secretary and MLA D. Sridhar Babu, former PCC president V. Hanumantha Rao, MLA Podam Veeraiah, AICC incharges Nadeem Javed and Rohit Chowdhary, former MLC K. Premsagar Rao and Congress campaign convener Azmathullah Hussaeni were present.

DCC presidents Sajid Khan and K. Surekha, state general secretary Gandrath Sujatha and NSUI state president Balmoori Venkat also took part in the event, besides some associates of Revanth Reddy and Maheshwar Reddy.

General secretaries Sattu Mallesh and Vedma Bojju, considered close to Revanth Reddy, and tribal wing state vice-president Bharath Chowhan and Utnoor ZPTC Charulatha Rathod, considered close to Maheshwar Reddy, also participated.