Congress chants unity mantra ahead of bus yatra

Hyderabad: The proposed bus yatra by the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) in the State will be utilised to showcase unity among the party senior leaders and to instil confidence among party cadre, sources said. 

The yatra will begin in the third week of February and all the top leaders of the party will participate involving, former TPCC presidents, CLP leaders in Assembly and Council, MPs, former MPs, MLAs and others. At least 40 leaders are expected to participate in the bus yatra.

Congress bus yatra will cover all the 119 Assembly constituencies of the State in two phases. The first phase will begin in third week of February and would continue till the beginning of the Assembly session. The second phase will take off in April.

The yatra will be completed before Telangana Formation Day on June 2. A grand public meeting would be organised at the ending point of the yatra. According to source, All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Rahul Gandhi will participate in the yatra at two places on different dates, as per the present plans of the PCC.

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president N Uttam Kumar Reddy, who is in Delhi, discussed the proposed bus yatra and said that the preparations will begin after the high command gives the green signal.

Apart from showing unity among the party leaders, the yatra is intended to prepare the cadre for the next elections, he said. As the party is expecting elections to Assembly and Parliament in December this year, the PCC wants to make the best use of the yatra.

As part of the yatra, party leaders would take on the government on various issues and explain the failures of the government to the people. Meetings would be organised in the Constituency headquarters.

A route map of the yatra would be finalised after the high command gives its permission. The final touches would be given to the schedule and route of the yatra soon and all senior leaders and DCCs would be consulted on that, he said.

The PCC is yet to take a decision on starting and ending points of bus yatra in the first phase. The mode of yatra is being discussed with the leaders as it would cover at least three Assembly segments in a day.

The party would highlight the failures of the government in providing employment, addressing the issues of farmers, government’s suppression of agitations, attacks on the Dalits among other issues.