After Munugode drubbing, Telangana Congress lays out action plan to reach out to people

The Congress has decided to focus on issues relating to land ownership, and plans mandal and district level agitations.

ByRaj Rayasam

Published Nov 21, 2022 | 2:06 PMUpdatedNov 21, 2022 | 2:06 PM

A Revant Reddy (Left) with Mallikarjun Kharge. (revanth_anumula/Twitter)

Pulling itself together after the bitter humiliation it suffered in the Munugode by-election, the Telangana Congress is back in action, with a plan to hold agitations across the state in the hope of retrieving lost ground.

The party, while trying to overcome the recent blow it had suffered when senior leader and former vice-chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Shashidhar Reddy left the party in search of greener pastures in the BJP, has drawn up a programme to go into the midst of people.

To begin with, a top delegation of the Congress called on Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar and submitted a memorandum to him listing out several demands. The list included entrusting the responsibility of the management of the land records to the Chief Commissioner of Land Administration.

The party said it was opposed to entrusting the name of maintenance of the Dharani website, repository of land records, to a foreign company.

In the memorandum, handed over by state Congress president A Revanth Reddy, Congress Legislative Party leader Mallu Bhati Vikramraka, legislators T Jayaprakash Reddy and D Anasuya alias Seethakka, the party wanted the government to free all land holdings from the prohibited list in the Dharani website and immediately resolve the disputes on their ownership by calling gram sabhas.

Also read: Congress expels Shashidhar Reddy after he meets with Amit Shah

‘Confer ownership rights immediately’ 

The party sought immediate measures for the conferment of ownership rights to the eligible under the 2001 Forest Rights Act. It also sought the removal of assigned lands from the prohibited list and their restoration to the original beneficiaries.

The government will have to make necessary amendments to the Act for this purpose.

The party wanted tenant farmers to be made eligible for all the benefits that the government was bestowing on the farmers.

It also demanded that the government bring forth the Land Title Guarantee Act in consonance with the policy of the then Congress government at the Centre in 2004.

Also read: More challenges for Congress as BJP eyes its flock

The party has already outlined an action plan for the workers till 5 December to agitate on people’s issues.

It has asked its workers to organise protests at Mandal headquarters on 24 November and at constituency headquarters on 30 November.

On 5 December, the Congress would hold dharnas at district collectors’ offices across the state.