HYDERABAD: The Congress is busy preparing for the Vijaya Bheri public meeting in Tukkuguda on September 17, after the CWC meeting on September 16, given the need to mobilise large crowds and undertake other arrangements.
Holding a bhoomi puja at the venue on Monday, AICC Telangana in-charge Manikrao Thakre and TPCC chief A. Revanth Reddy took stock of the works.
Party leaders said they will mobilise people from a 60-70-kilometre radius of the venue, covering up to 40 Assembly segments. They said 80 per cent of the land-levelling work was completed.
Weather concerns, however, remained. The Met Department predicted unfriendly weather with heavy rains and thundershowers until September 17. It may be recalled that a proposed meeting — in which Jupally Krishna Rao was to join the Congress in the presence of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at a public meeting in Kollapur — had to be cancelled.
The party is not planning to build hangars for the audience and is hoping for the best.
Malreddy Ranga Reddy, a former MLA and ticket aspirant from Ibrahimpatnam, who was overseeing the arrangements, said that 1.5 lakh people from Rangareddy would attend the meeting. He said he owned 30 acres which were being used for the meeting. “The rest of the land was sought from farmers around here. Arrangements for parking of vehicles are being made at four places around the meeting arena,” he said.
“We are seeking RTC buses to transport people. The target for mobilising people depends on their distance to the meeting venue. Those close will help mobilise more people,” said Challa Narasimha Reddy, DCC president for Rangareddy.
TPCC PAC convener Shabbir Ali, who is also overseeing the arrangements, said: “Sixty acres will be utilised for parking and the rest for the meeting. Farmers are offering another 10 acres for the meeting. More people will attend this meeting as the venue is also bigger (than usual).”
TPCC senior vice president Mallu Ravi said: “We have applied for permission from the Rachakonda police commissioner. It was applied along with NoC from the farmers.”
