Farmers meet boosts Congress morale

THE VEHICLES of Congress workers who came to the meeting from Hyderabad, Nalgonda, Yadadri and Jangaon districts were stopped at Fathima Mother Teresa junction, 3 km from the venue. They had to walk the distance in the hot sun.

The Rythu Sangarshana Sabha, the public meeting of Congress senior leader Rahul Gandhi, proved a hit with a large number of people turning up at the Arts and Science College ground here on Friday.

Congress leaders took out a huge vehicle rally from a helipad set up at a private school in Kazipet to the meeting venue, which was named after the people’s poet Kaloji

Narayana Rao.

As soon as Rahul Gandhi stepped onto the dais, the crowd cheered and started raising slogans in support of the Congress. Fire crackers were set off, and lasted for more than 20 minutes until the speeches of former TPCC chief Uttam Kumar Reddy and Congress floor leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka ended.

Rahul Gandhi first consoled the family members of farmers who had died by suicide; the families were seated on a special dais to the right side of main stage. The vehicles of Congress workers who came to the meeting from Hyderabad, Nalgonda, Yadadri and Jangaon districts were stopped at Fathima Mother Teresa junction, 3 km from the venue. They had to walk the distance in the hot sun.

Some party cadre from Karimnagar, Mulugu and Jayashankar Bhupalpally districts were stopped 2 km from the venue, and they decided to stay in their vehicles.

The large number of vehicles bound for the meeting caused a traffic jam five kilometers long on the Warangal-Khammam national highway. Still, Congress activists reached the venue on foot.

The Warangal police headed by commissioner of police Tarun Joshi deployed 1,060 police personnel headed by a DCP, seven ACPs, 20 inspectors, 60 Sis and 132 head constables for the meeting. The bomb squad and dog squad were also deployed.

The huge turnout gave the Congress leaders a morale boost. Congress leaders were clearly overwhelmed and congratulated each other for conducting the meeting successfully.