Congress brainstorms over its stand on Liberation Day

Hyderabad: The Congress party is mulling over what stand to take on Telangana Liberation Day, to be celebrated on September 17, to counter the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the State.

According to party sources, the issue has come for discussion during a meeting of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) leaders on the arrangements to be made to celebrate the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi during last week of this month.

The sources said the party is yet to chalk out a strategy on neutralising the BJP effect with the help of Liberation Day. They said that the party would pose a question to Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) about its stand on the Liberation Day.

They recalled that during the Telangana movement, the TRS had demanded that the erstwhile combined Andhra Pradesh governments officially celebrate Liberation Day.

The Congress is worried about the aggression of the BJP in the State. Reports on departure of some leaders of the party to join the Saffron Party have been keeping the leadership on tenterhooks.

The leaders of the party were also worried about the effect the BJP would have on the municipal polls. Few leaders are of the view that with the new image the BJP acquired with the abrogation of Article 370, it may dent the prospects of Congress in municipal polls.

Emergence of BJP as a big force would turn the municipal polls into a triangular one and lead to unpredictable results. The Congress which was confident about winning the majority of the municipal polls is now wary of the strength of the BJP.

The grand old party has expected good prospects for it in the municipal polls as the ruling TRS, which was on the back foot in Parliament elections and also in the elections to the MLC seats, has been facing the ire of the urban voters.

The Congress expected that the urban voters turned against the TRS and they would vote in favour of it in municipal polls. But the sudden emergence of BJP, by winning four Lok Sabha seats in Parliament elections, has made it rethink its strategy.

Leaders of Congress felt that if the urban voters favour the BJP, it would deal a blow to the Congress. If the BJP wins municipal polls in a big way it would claim that it would be the only alternative to the ruling TRS.

Off late the BJP has sharpened its criticism against the TRS and trying to show that it was the main opposition.

This would change the political equations in the State by the time of next Assembly elections approach.

Keeping this in view, the Congress has been trying to stop the aggression of the BJP. Party leaders felt that Liberation Day would be a tool to use against the saffron party.

The BJP is making grand plans for the Liberation Day to be held on September 17. It may bring Union Home Minister Amit Shah to the programme. It is also planning admitting some leaders in the presence of Amit Shah. The celebrations may polarise the votes.