Hyderabad: An unprecedented show of unity, strength and resolve by the Indian National Congress will be on display at the two-day apex body meeting here, followed by a public meeting to blow the bugle for the battle of Telangana, and a reach-out to 115 of the 119 Assembly constituencies.
“The two-day Congress Working Committee (CWC), happening as an exception outside the national capital, is a rare gesture to show the national that the party is backing its Telangana state unit in its bid to defeat the BRS and form government,” said AICC general secretary K.C. Venugopal on the eve of the meeting.
The first day of the CWC meeting, being held at a star hotel in the city, will have all its members attending it and deliberating the party’s preparedness for the polls to five state Assemblies slated for later this year, and the Lok Sabha elections next year. The meeting would also try to brainstorm and prepare the five-day special session of Parliament scheduled for next week.
On the second day, special invitees, all chiefs of the Pradesh Congress Committees as well as the Congress Legislative Party units, among others will attend the meeting. There would be over 150 attendees, including four Chief Ministers.
Speaking at a presser after inspecting the preparations at a private ground prepared for its public meeting on Sunday, Venugopal said, “despite all joint efforts by the BJP and the BRS, we are ready for Vijaya Bheri on Sunday when lakhs of people from across Telangana will come to listen to Smt Sonia Gandhi, who will unveil the six guarantees for the citizens.”
“We will win in Telangana and form government based on the surging support of the people, who have decided to dethrone the BRS government, which has failed to honour any of its promises,” he said.
The CWC meeting “will prepare us for the fight ahead and herald the party to power. Apart from CWC members, in attendance will be permanent invitees and special invitees of the highest decision making body of the party,” said Venugopal.
Of the 90 who are supposed to attend the CWC meet, 84 are attending it.
“We promised Telangana and delivered statehood. But Telangana has become the most corrupt state under Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao. People are looking towards the I.N.D.I.A. bloc after we came together and held three meetings, he said.
Addressing the media at Tukkuguda, the venue for Vijaya Bheri meeting, and responding to queries on AIMIM and women’s reservation bill, Venugopal said, “Our principal enemy is the BJP. BRS chief KCR has supported the BJP on all Bills from farmer bills, demonetisation, election of President and Vice-President etc. KCR supports AIMIM for a few Muslim votes. The women’s reservation bill is the child of the Congress and it was passed in the Rajya Sabha by the Manmohan Singh government. We have been asking the BJP to pass it in the Lok Sabha and enable the reservation.”
On leaders and workers joining the party, he said, “across states going to polls leaders, people are joining the Congress. Here also, there will leaders joining us as the mood is against the BRS. After the Vijaya Bheri on Sunday, our MPs from Telangana will attend the Parliament session, but all other leaders will visit 115 constituencies to present ‘chargesheets’ against the KCR government and explain the six guarantees.”
The extended CWC meeting on September 17 will be attended by CWC members along with permanent invitees, in attendance will be PCC presidents, CLP leaders and Central Election Committee members. Of the 159 invited, 147 are attending it at 10.30 am.
The Vijaya Bheri will start at 5 pm, Venugopal said, and added that they have implemented four of the five promises made in Karnataka.
On the national mood, he said, Manipur has been burning for 130 days but PM Modi chose to speak only after 100 days, that too after he was forced to respond.
“Nuh in Haryana burnt and security forces lost lives in J&K. Where is the nationalism of Modi when China is occupying our land,” he asked.
“Sonia Gandhi is coming to see how living standards have fallen in Telangana, the status of welfare, lack of social justice and announce the six guarantees. We will implement all guarantees within the first month of our coming to power. BRS government tried to stop us from holding meetings in collusion with BJP while political meetings happen elsewhere and MIM is allowed to hold a meeting on the same day on Idgah maidan owned by Wakf Board,” said TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy.
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, “The CWC meet will be a transformational moment for Telangana. Despite the Modi government’s effort to fail the anna bhagya scheme we launched it in Karnataka. The Gruha Lakshmi scheme, which involves a direct benefit transfer of '2,000 for women, also has been launched. BJP has so far failed to appoint their leader of opposition.”
Most leaders including former AICC presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Chief Ministers of Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh, and others would arrive Saturday morning.
