Will announce the candidates well before other parties APPCC chief Gidugu Rudra Raju

Rajamahendravaram: APCC president Gidugu Rudra Raju said that it has been decided to make the Congress leaders and former public representatives, who remained neutral and stagnant after the division of Andhra Pradesh state, actively participate in the party's activities again. The party decided to form a special committee to hold discussions with such senior leaders, he added. He landed at Rajahmundry Airport on Friday to go to Kakinada to participate in the Congress Seva Dal Foundation Day. He received a warm welcome by PCC general secretary Mulla Madhav, District President A. Aruna, City President Balepalli Muralidhar, and others.

Hans India had a chit-chat with Gidugu Rudra Raju on this occasion.

He said that the Congress party will take the 2024 elections as the most ambitious. He said that after the victory in Karnataka and Telangana states, the party machinery is working with determination to register a great victory in Andhra Pradesh as well. Surveys were conducted in various Assembly and Parliament constituencies. He said that there is an idea to form the Pradesh Election Committee and announce the candidates before all the states. He said that many leaders from YSRCP and other parties are also in contact to join the Congress party.

When asked about Sharmila Reddy's inclusion, he said that matter was also discussed in the high-level meeting held in Delhi. He said that Congress runs based on party ideologies. Those who have faith in Congress's ideology will definitely be invited. He recalled that The late YS Rajasekhara Reddy's last wish was to see Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Minister. He said that the Congress party will invite Sharmila Reddy as the daughter of a leader who has such love and loyalty towards the party and will use her services. He said that the party would discuss how to utilize her services and take a decision soon. He said that they have told the headship that they welcome her as the state president. When asked whether there was any possibility of changing the PCC president and Andhra Pradesh in-charge in the wake of the elections, he said that no such thing was mentioned in the meeting. He reminded AP in-charge has been appointed recently.

Rudra Raju said that top leaders of the Congress party Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, and others will address various public meetings in Andhra Pradesh as star companions for the elections.

He criticized the Telugu Desam Party and YSRCP, which came to power in two elections after the division of Andhra Pradesh, have not doing any good to the state. He accused the two parties of neglecting the interests of the state. The two parties cheated the people of AP by maintaining immoral ties with the ruling BJP at the Centre. As a result of this, the development of the state has stopped in the last ten years and the state is lagging in all fields, he said.

He said that he had participated in the high-level preparatory meeting held in Delhi recently to prepare for the general elections.

Senior Congress leaders, CWC members, former ministers, and members of parliament participated in the meeting, he said. The meeting was held for two and a half hours. The AICC president Mallikarjuna Kharge, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, AP affairs in-charge Manikyam Tagore, and K.C. Venu Gopal participated in this and discussed the strategy to be adopted by the Congress party during the elections and organizational strengthening.

He explained that Rahul Gandhi hoped the Congress party would definitely come to power in the 2024 elections in the center. It was said that Rahul Gandhi assured that special status will be given to Andhra Pradesh, the privatization of the Visakha Steel Plant will be stopped and all steps will be taken to build the Polavaram project.