Congress will give priority to youth in next election: Khuntia

Aicc Secretary and Incharge for Telangana Congress affairs R.C. Khuntia has announced that the party would give priority to youth while giving tickets for next elections in 2019.

In an informal chat with media persons at Gandhi Bhavan here on Saturday, Khuntia said Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi has been encouraging youth leaders in the party and they are being assigned various responsibilities. Therefore, he said that the Congress party would give top priority to young leaders while distributing tickets for the next elections. He said importance would also be given to all frontal organisations.

Khuntia, who visited Hyderabad for the first time after getting appointed as the incharge of Telangana Congress affairs, expressed satisfaction over the functioning of present leadership. He indirectly dismissed all the speculations about changes in State leadership and said Congress party would face next elections under the leadership of TPCC President Capt. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Jana Reddy and Shabbir Ali. He said Rahul Gandhi too was satisfied with the performance of TPCC. However, he said he was not empowered to speak on party's Chief Ministerial candidate for next elections. He said Congress does not have the practice of announcing CM's candidate in advance and the decision is always taken by the newly elected MLAs in CLP meeting post elections.

The Congress incharge claimed that the TRS has been losing its ground in Telangana. Describing TRS as a party with no morals, he said if Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao was so convinced about his popularity, he should face by-elections by making all defected resign from their posts. Stating that it was Congress president Sonia Gandhi who gave Telangana, he asked as to why KCR, along with his family members, visited Sonia Gandhi's residence to take a family photo if he had brought Telangana.

He also said that the BJP was not strong enough to win next elections in Telangana. Similarly, he said both TDP and YSRCP have lost relevance in the new State.

Khuntia said he had already worked for the Congress party in almost all States, including Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry. Therefore, he said Telangana's politics was not new for him. However, he said that no miracles should be expected of him on immediate basis. He said that the party would discuss and finalise future strategy in TPCC's Executive Committee meeting to be held at Gandhi Bhavan on Sunday.

TPCC President Uttam Kumar Reddy, Leader of Opposition in Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir, Vice-President Dr. Mallu Ravi and other leaders were also present.