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Congress leaders put off Bhongir rally

HYDERABAD: After forcefully asserting on Thursday that they would go ahead with their proposed public meeting in support for separate Telangana at Bhongir, senior Congress leaders announced on Friday that they would not go ahead with the rally on March 24.

This was announced by Vuppunuthala Purushotham Reddy, MLA, after he received a telephone call from Ahmed Patel, political secretary of All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Sonia Gandhi, asking them not to go ahead with the event as the high command was looking into the demand for statehood to Telangana.

Mr. Reddy stated at a news conference later that Mr. Patel had conveyed the view of Ms. Gandhi who reserved her comment when the seniors called on her in New Delhi on Thursday.

He said Ms. Gandhi heard them patiently on the objective of the Bhongir meeting and other related issues for one-and-a-half hours and promised to respond after they returned to Hyderabad. She kept her word.

Mr. Patel was quoted by Mr. Reddy as asking the seniors to postpone the rally so as not to ‘rupture’ their relations. The high command was debating the demand and would be in touch with them. “We found sense in Mr. Patel’s suggestion and decided to follow it,” Mr. Reddy said.

Asked if the meeting was merely postponed or cancelled altogether, Mr. Reddy said it was a temporary postponement. “Who knows, it could well turn out to be a victory rally to celebrate announcement of separate Telangana when it is organised next,” he remarked.

He denied that the high command bowed to pressure from integrationists within Congress in seeking postponement of the rally.

To a question what purpose their New Delhi visit served, he said it resulted in the meeting of the core committee of Congress on Telangana issue on Friday.

They were convinced that the demand would be met. They succeeded in making their point forcefully.

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