Congress to roll out sops for TS

Hyderabad: Congress may announce some sops to Telangana in its manifesto as the Working Committee of the party would meet on Monday at Delhi to discuss the national manifesto.

The Working Committee would discuss the promises to be made to the people of the country and may also discuss issues particular to the States. Along with Andhra Pradesh, which has been seeking special status, the CWC may also discuss various promises which could be made to Telangana.

A top leader of the Pradesh Congress Committee said that the CWC would announce few promises to the State to attract the attention of voters. Telangana would vote for the Parliament on April 11.

According to the leader the CWC may consider promises like establishment a tribal university, Information Technology Investment Region in Hyderabad, giving national status to either Kaleswaram Project or Palamuru Ranga Reddy Lift Irrigation Scheme, establishment of the steel factory at Bayyaram, enhancing the status of NIMS to AIIMS, establishment of Kazipet Railway Division and a coach factory at Kazipet, manufacturing zone at Zaheerabad, among others.

In fact, Congress had made several promises to Telangana in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. However, they were not implemented as that party failed to return to power at the Centre in 2014.

At his public meetings during the Assembly elections in 2018, Congress president Rahul Gandhi had questioned the failures in implementation of these promises.

The PCC leaders have also pointed out that most of the promises made in the APRA were not met by the Centre in the past five years. They promised that if Congress forms the government at the Centre it would implement all of them.