RaGa to announce poll promises

Hyderabad: The Congress party will unveil its plans for Telangana's agriculture sector at the public meeting to be addressed by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at Warangal on Friday evening.

After failing to capture power twice (2014 and 2018) despite claiming credit for carving out the separate state, the Congress will begin its preparations for next year's Assembly elections with the 'Kisan Sangharsh Sabha'.

Addressing his first public meeting in Telangana after 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Rahul will announce what the party intends to do for farmers and the agriculture sector if voted to power in 2023.

The opposition party has made elaborate arrangements for the meeting at Arts and Science College Grounds at Hanamkonda. The party expects five lakh people to attend the meeting.

Rahul will console families of farmers who committed suicide and interact with them to know the reasons for the extreme step.

He is likely to make certain announcements during the speech on what Congress would do for farmers if it comes to power in the next year's polls.

Two separate stages have been installed for artists and the families of deceased farmers. The venue and the roads leading to it have been decked with cutouts of Rahul, party president Sonia Gandhi, flexis, banners and flags.

Rahul is scheduled to arrive in Hyderabad on a two-day visit to Telangana at 4.50 p.m. on Friday. After landing at Hyderabad International Airport at Shamshabad, he will leave for Hanamkonda by helicopter.

After addressing the public meeting, he will reach Hyderabad by road and have a night halt at a five-star hotel in Banjara Hills.

The next day, he will pay tributes to former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Damodaram Sanjivayya by garlanding his statue. In the afternoon, he will have a meeting with state party leaders at Gandhi Bhavan, state party headquarters.

The Congress MP is likely to discuss the electoral strategy with senior leaders including central leader in-charge of party affairs in Telangana Manickam Tagore, state party chief A. Revanth Reddy and others.

The Congress leader will also meet the party coordinators who conducted digital membership enrollment drive. The party claims to have achieved the target of 40 lakh members.

Rahul will not be visiting Osmania University as the university authorities have denied permission for the same. Though some NSUI leaders had approached the Telangana High Court, seeking direction to the university authorities to allow Rahul to visit the campus and interact with students, the court refused to pass any orders and left the decision to the university.

The university vice-chancellor made it clear that the governing body has already taken a decision not to allow any political activity on the campus.

The Congress leaders, however, maintained that Rahul's proposed visit was not political as he just wanted to visit the campus and interact with students to know their problems.

The opposition party has alleged that the university authorities refused permission at the behest of ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).

It is not clear if Rahul Gandhi will visit Chanchalguda jail to meet NSUI leaders who were arrested for staging a protest at Osmania University on May 1 over denial of permission to the party leader's visit.

Revanth Reddy and other leaders called on the director general of the prison department on Thursday, seeking permission for Rahul to visit Chanchalguda Jail to meet NSUI leaders.

The Congress MP is scheduled to return to Delhi from Shamshabad Airport at 5.50 p.m. on Saturday.

Telangana Congress Campaign Committee Chairman Madhu Goud Yaskhi on Thursday said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will meet National Students' Union of India (NSUI) members in the Chanchalguda jail who were detained for staging a protest outside the administrative building of Osmania University in Hyderabad.

Yaskhi said, "Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will address Rythu Sangharshana Sabha in Warangal. The next day, he will offer floral tributes to former CM Damodaram Sanjeevaiah." "He will also meet the arrested NSUI president along with 18 other students in the jail. Then he will interact with extended Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee members at Gandhi Bhavan," he added.

Ahead of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's visit to Telangana, banners were seen around Hyderabad asking if he was ready to accept the 'white challenge' by Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) working president KT Rama Rao.

This comes after Rahul Gandhi's video went viral on various social media platforms, showing the Congress leader attending a party.

Rahul Gandhi reports said he was apparently in the viral video at a Lord of Rings, a nightclub in Kathmandu. However, there was no independent authentication of the contents of the viral video.

The white challenge was started by Congress MP and Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President Revanth Reddy in September 2021, for politicians and celebrities aiming to eradicate the drug menace in the state.

TRS leader Krishank said that state Congress chief Revanth Reddy has been asking political leaders to accept drug tests which KT Rama Rao accepted, but now he has also asked the Rahul Gandhi who is visiting Telangana to take up this challenge and KTR is ready to come wherever he wants to give his tests.

Rahul Gandhi will visit Telangana for a two-day visit on May 6 and 7 The NSUI members protested outside the University seeking permission for Rahul Gandhi's visit to the campus on May 7, following which the police detained them and registered a case for 'obstructing the public servant in conducting their duty'.

On Sunday, Ramesh Naik, Circle Inspector had said that 18 people who were protesting were taken into custody.

"Eighteen people who were protesting in the administration's building have been taken into custody. When we tried to stop the agitators, they pushed our staff including lady constables. Agitators pelted stones to break the glasses on the window and went inside the building. A case has been registered under obstructing the public servant in conducting their duty," Ramesh Naik had said.

All arrangements are in place for the visit of AICC leader Rahul Gandhi's at Warangal on Friday evening. It is to mention here that the AICC leader will arrive in Hyderabad at 4:30 pm and will reach Warangal by chopper. He will take part in Rythu Sanghrsha Sabha at St Gabriel's Arts College grounds. Later he will leave to Hyderabad by 8 and will stay at a hotel. On Saturday he will pay tributes to the former chief minister Sajeevaiah. He will chair meeting with all the senior party leaders and will leave for Delhi from Shamshabad at 5 pm.

Can Rahul Gandhi mesmerise the people in Telangana to bring back the Congress on winning track could well be a million dollar question. But the TPCC is indeed buoyant that their stalwart leader's public meeting in Warangal on May 6 could well revitalise the party cadres in the run up to the 2023 elections. Even though the grand 137-year-old Congress has a dedicated vote bank in Telangana, the one-upmanship approach of the leaders drove the party to the brink. As this was not enough, party hoppers turned worsen the situation. However, the cadres appear to be upbeat since A Revanth Reddy took over as the TPCC president. Amid bickering and setbacks within party ranks, the State leadership hopes to revive the party's chances in the next elections with Rahul Gandhi's public meeting, christened as Rythu Sangharshana Sabha.

If one goes by the top leadership of the Congress, it assumes Warangal as the party's lucky mascot. They recall the BC Garjana Sabha held in 2002, which was addressed by Sonia Gandhi. The Congress leaders believe that it set the tone for their return to power at the Centre and State in 2004. What that augurs well for the Congress is that it had successfully created hype around the May 6 Rahul Gandhi's public meeting. The party made it even more interesting by stating that Rahul would announce the 'Warangal Declaration' that serves as a tramline for the future course of action in the run up to elections next year. It may be noted here that 'Warangal Declaration' is a popular phrase in this part of the State that reminds the 1997 'Warangal Declaration' organised by the All India People's Resistance Forum (AIPRF) which set the tone for the second phase of the separate State movement.

On the other hand, the Congress leadership also made sure to get the media and public attention by sending its top leaders almost every day to Warangal in the name of inspecting public meeting arrangements. Speakin zg to The Hans India, Warangal DCC president Naini Raender Reddy said: "Warangal is fortunate to hold Rahul Gandhi's meeting. This will set the tone for the Congress' juggernaut ahead of 2023 elections. Apart from the main dais, we have erected two more daises – one for the kin of farmers who committed suicide and the other one for the cultural activity."

Telangana PCC president A Revanth Reddy on Thursday slammed the TRS and BJP parties, alleging that they 'cheated' farmers of the State by making false promises to them. The Congress leader told the media that the two parties were 'playing dramas' when farmers were demanding to buy paddy from them. Referring to the visit of AICC leader Rahul Gandhi to Telangana from Friday, he said Rahul is coming to the State to highlight the callous and negligent attitude of the State and the Central governments towards farmers through the public meeting being held at Warangal.

Reddy said the Congress would make a declaration about the steps to be initiated by the party for welfare of farmers of the State in the meeting. He exuded confidence that Congress would come to power in the State 'at any cost', adding that it would show development in the State after coming to power and repeat the golden rule of the party witnessed before 2004.

The Congress leader promised that the party will give all subsidies to farmers. "All farmers will take part in the Warangal meeting. Every booth in-charge will bring at least nine people to the meeting. Targeting Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, Reddy said there was no limit for corruption of KCR and family. He alleged huge corruption in the construction of Yadadri temple. He charged that KCR's family members were involved in Rs 2,000-crore construction of the temple. "Corruption took place in the construction of Telangana martyrs' memorial. The memorial construction was started with an estimate of Rs 62 crore; the work is not complete even after spending Rs 100 crore."