Cong high command serious on ‘vote chori’ signature campaign

Hyderabad: The Congress high command has taken a serious view of the ongoing ‘Vote Chori’ signature campaign, with AICC in-charge general secretary for Telangana, Meenakshi Natarajan, issuing strict instructions to the newly appointed District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents to collect 25,000 signatures in each district by December 8, it is learnt.

Meenakshi Natarajan held one-on-one meetings with the new DCC chiefs at Gandhi Bhavan on Tuesday, in the presence of TPCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud. She reportedly emphasised that the signature campaign must be taken up with full seriousness while simultaneously preparing for the upcoming local body elections.

Reiterating the directive, Natarajan is said to have told the DCC leaders that the high command appointed them through a social engineering-based selection process, and it is now their responsibility to strengthen the party and work towards making Rahul Gandhi the Prime Minister. Earlier, during the TPCC Executive Committee meeting at Gandhi Bhavan, Meenakshi Natarajan interrupted Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy when he said that DCC presidents would be reviewed after six months She noted that in Gujarat the party assesses DCC presidents within a three-month period and takes action if they fail to follow instructions. “Alright—we will give six months in Telangana, as suggested by CM Revanth Reddy,” she remarked.

She further clarified that the selection of DCC presidents was carried out impartially based on AICC observers’ field reports, and that neither the Chief Minister nor the TPCC chief recommended names from their home districts. Future responsibilities and positions, she added, would be allotted strictly on the basis of performance. The new DCC chiefs have also been tasked with ensuring the victory of all party-backed Sarpanch candidates in their districts.