Congress revs up poll machine in Telangana with Revanth Reddy padayatra from 6 February

Why a padayatra?

The practice became firmly entrenched after late Congress leader YS Rajasekhar Reddy took out a padayatra across the integrated state of Andhra Pradesh in 2003.

Riding a new wave of popularity, he vanquished the then-chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu in 2004.

This was followed by similar padayatras by Naidu himself, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, and YS Sharmila.

The present Haath Se Haath Jodo Abhiyan is a continuation of the party leader Rahul Gandhi’s recently concluded Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Though the party is riven with factionalism, it is not very apparent, at least for now. This is considered a good sign for the party to put up a better show.

There was initial opposition to Revanth Reddy’s padayatra from the seniors in the Congress, but with party Telangana in-charge Manikrao Thakre putting his foot firmly down, they have fallen silent.

Related: Fissures appear in Telangana Congress’ ‘G9’

The Congress padayatra

In his padayatra, Revanth Reddy is expected to take up the issues in each Assembly segment that he would be traversing through, and call the government to account for them.

Describing them as local charge-sheets, the Congress leaders say that this way the party could connect with people effectively in smaller towns and villages, while Revanth Reddy would be damning both the Centre and the state at the macro level for their omissions and commissions.

Since the beginning, the party has been accusing both the BJP and the BRS of working hand in glove with the sole aim of eliminating the Congress from the bullring of politics.

It believes that the Governor’s praise of the state government in her address to the legislature was a clear indication of the activity that had been going on behind the screens.

The party apparently expects to expose the alleged game plan of the two parties before the people.

The party also hopes to present itself as a credible alternative to the BRS in the state and believes that if it can emerge stronger, the people would throw their weight behind it, as KCR is carrying a huge load of anti-incumbency on his shoulders.

What Revanth Reddy will do

Telangana Congress in-charge Manikrao Thakre, after a review of the arrangements at Gandhi Bhavan on Saturday, said that the purpose of the Haath se Haath Jodo Abhiyan was to take Rahul Gandhi’s message to the people of the state.

Coinciding with Revanth’s padayatra, Congress leaders would take out similar rallies for the next 60 days in all Assembly segments. “We will expose the state and Central governments in our yatras,” Thakre said.

The party has worked out the finer details of the TPCC president’s padayatra.

He is expected to walk morning and evening every day covering 15-18 km and address street-corner meetings which are deemed an effective means of reaching people rather than mega-rallies that require huge amounts of money.

The party is planning to have Revanth Reddy interact with influential people in villages during his afternoon lunch breaks.

The TPCC president would also spend time with cadres, energising them to make the padayatra a success.

A few caste meetings would also be thrown in, as in the final analysis, it is caste alone that matters in the elections.

Also read: After Munugode drubbing, Telangana Congress unveils outreach plan