Cong plans public meetings in place of Padayatra

Against the backdrop of TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu and YSR Congress leader Sharmila undertaking 'padayatras' well before the 2014 elections, the Andhra Pradesh unit of the Congress, which is in ruling, today decided to organize public meetings by important leaders.

Public meetings at the district-level would be addressed by Chief Minister N Kirankumar Reddy, actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi and Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Botsa Satyanarayana, among others. Welfare schemes being implemented by the Congress Government would be explained to the people at public meetings, the PCC president told reporters here.
He was speaking after a one-day convention of senior leaders organised by the PCC at Gandhi Bhavan, the state Congress headquarters in Hyderabad, to discuss ways to strengthen the party and also the ensuing membership drive. The meeting was attended by the Chief Minister, several MPs, Ministers, former PCC presidents and other senior leaders. Along with the public meeting, senior leaders would also attend a meeting of party activists on the same day.
Asked about differences between the Chief Minister Kirankumar Reddy and Deputy Chief Minister C Damodar Rajanarasimha, as claimed by some media reports, the PCC president dismissed talk of any differences.
Replying to a query, the PCC president said that the State Government would examine the proposal that the number of subsidized LPG cylinders would be raised to nine for all consumers. Following the Centre's decision to give only six cylinders on subsidy, the Congress High Command had directed the party-ruled Governments to give a total of nine cylinders.

The State Government had earlier announced that nine cylinders would be given as earlier to the beneficiaries of 'Deepam' scheme which is meant for poor consumers.
The membership drive would begin on November 14, the birth anniversary of Pandit Nehru, at the district level and also November 19, the birth anniversary of late Indira Gandhi at other places. On the issue of Telangana, the PCC president said all leaders should abide by the decision of the Central leadership.
The Congress Government would try to conduct elections to local bodies and cooperatives soon after getting legal hurdles cleared in the process, he said. There was a proposal to appoint regional committees for the party in the State, he said.
Meanwhile, sources said that the Chief Minister in his address, stressed the need for unity among party leaders at various levels for the party to effectively face the electoral challenge. He indicated that all decisions are taken in consultation with the Central leadership and not unilaterally, sources claimed.

- Sakshipost