Congress will strengthen organisation to win municipal polls: Uttam

Hyderabad: The Congress party has decided to strengthen the organisation at all levels across the Telangana State to win forthcoming municipal elections.

The decision was taken in the meeting of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) Office Bearers, DCC Presidents and heads of Frontal Organisations held at Nagarjuna Sagar on Saturday. AICC Telangana Incharge R.C. Khuntia, TPCC President and Nalgonda MP Capt. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, MPs Komatireddy Venkatreddy and A. Revanth Reddy, AICC Secretaries Bose Raju, Saleem Ahmed and Srinivasan Krisnana, ex-LoPs K. Jana Reddy and Mohammed Ali Shabbir, Working Presidents Ponnam Prabhakar and Kusum Kumar, MLAs Jagga Reddy, Sridhar Babu and Seethakka, MLC Jeevan Reddy and other senior leaders participated in the meeting.

Addressing the meeting, Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the preparations for municipal polls should be taken up on war footing basis. He said formation of committees for newly created districts and Nagar Panchayats should be completed immediately. Committees should be formed for all municipalities. He said meetings would be held at at all DCCs on 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th of July to discuss and finalise the agenda for municipal polls. Further, the DCCs would organise meetings in every municipality every day from 5th to 10th July. He directed the DCC Presidents to conduct workers' convention at various levels and focus on organisational building.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the Congress party would follow 'Select and Elect' policy to pick candidates for the municipal elections with local MPs and MLAs or contested candidates and DCC Presidents playing a crucial role.

The TPCC chief also asked the DCC Presidents to apply with District Collectors for land for DCC offices.

Commenting on the State Government's decision to construct new Secretariat and Assembly buildings, Uttam Kumar Reddy described the move as waste of public money. He said that the Congress party would soon finalise the mode of agitation against it. He also condemned the harassment of Congress workers by police and warned of agitation if it continues.

The Congress party has also decided to come up with a status paper on Kaleshwaram project. He said that the Kaleshwaram project was not yet completed, but inaugurated only to mislead the people.

Khuntia, in his speech, said that the Congress party would soon launch membership drive before the municipal polls. He said although the Congress membership drive was not being taken up in other States, it would be done in Telangana as TRS and BJP are doing it. Stating that the Congress party has emerged strong in the Lok Sabha elections, he expressed confidence that it would perform well in the forthcoming municipal elections. He said a State-level meeting of Congress leaders would be held at least once in a month from now on.

The Congress leaders also passed a unanimous resolution requesting Rahul Gandhi to withdraw his resignation from the post of Congress president.