Sonia to enthuse Cong cadre

• Cong leaders want former AICC leader to take up bus yatra in TS

Hyderabad: Buoyed with the recent visit of Rahul Gandhi to Telangana, Congress is toying with the idea of inviting former AICC chief Sonia Gandhi to tour the citadel of TRS – north Telangana.

With the proposed Praja Chaitanya bus yatra by the Congress intending to whip up Telangana sentiment, leaders from north Telangana made fervent appeal to the organising committee of the bus yatra to rope in Sonia Gandhi. The bus yatra committee has conceded their demand and will be requesting Sonia tour North Telangana.

Speaking to The Hans India, chairman of the organising committee Mohammad Shabbir Ali said that anyone, even those oppose Congress, agree with the fact that it was Sonia Gandhi who ensured statehood to Telangana.

Stating that there was no role of Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao in attaining statehood for Telangana, Shabbir Ali said, “The Chief Minister has 80 MLAs and 21 MPs, including Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha but failed to achieve implementation of at least one promise being made to the state in the AP Reorganisation Act in the past four-and-a-half years. How can he take credit for achieving Telangana being a lone MP in the previous Lok Sabha?”

Shabbir Ali said that a visit of Sonia Gandhi to the north Telangana region during the bus yatra would immensely help the party to invoke the sentiment factor. The sentiment factor has played a key role in the previous elections, he said.

The Congress leaders have decided to write a letter to the AICC inviting Sonia to the bus yatra. AICC general secretary and state affairs incharge RC Khuntia would make the request on behalf of Telangana Congress.

A party leader said that the visit of Sonia Gandhi depends on her health conditions. The AICC may consider her health situation and take a decision in this regard. The former president of Congress is recuperating from ill health.

Leaders of the party said that the Congress needs a big boost in north Telangana region being dominated by the TRS. The TRS has won 42 out of the 43 Assembly seats in this region in the previous elections riding on the wave of sentiment.

The leaders are of the view that since it was Sonia Gandhi who played a key role in ensuring statehood to Telangana, her visit would pay rich dividends to the party in the next elections.

The Congress may announce through Sonia Gandhi about the implementation of the promises made to Telangana in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act like establishment of steel factory at Bayyaram in Khammam district, coach factory at Kazipet and others.

A public meeting of Sonia Gandhi may be organised in Adilabad, Nizamabad and Karimnagar during the bus yatra which is scheduled to begin in September first week.