Rahul Gandhi asks Congress MLAs to get ready for LS elections

Hyderabad: The All India Congress Committee president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday told the newly-elected Congress MLAs that the parliament elections would be between the Congress and BJP and there would be no benefit in criticising Telangana state Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao in the LS poll.

The AICC president met the MLAs in the war room on Tuesday along with other senior leaders.

Mr Rahul expressed disappointment with the results in the recent assembly elections. When he raised questions about the reasons for the defeat, many MLAs came up with several opinions like the party should be made more organised and that candidates should be announced earlier etc.

When Telangana state Congress affairs in-charge R.C. Khuntia said that money had an impact in the TS Assembly elections, Mr Rahul Gandhi disagreed saying that money was spent heavily by the opponents in Chhattisga-rh, but the Congress won.

The reasons for the defeat in the recent Assembly elections were discussed and also suggestions were taken from the MLAs for a com back in the Lok Sabha elections. MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy said that the delay in the announcement of the candidates had proved costly apart from the fact that welfare schemes and Raithu Bandhu had helped the TRS retain power.

LB Nagar MLA D Sudhir Reddy said that there was no use in appointing four working presidents for the party. He also informed Rahul that the Working President post had “been given to those who were not fit for it”.

There will be a second meeting in a couple of days regarding elections strategies for the forthcoming elections.