Janahita Padayatra To Resume After Aug 23

TPCC President and MLC Mahesh Kumar Goud today announced that the Janahita Padayatra would resume in Telangana after August 23.

During an informal discussion with reporters at Gandhi Bhavan, he said that the padayatra (foot march) had received a positive response from the public, greatly motivating the party's grassroots members.

"The padayatra is my initiative. However, some individuals have deliberately projected it as being under the leadership of AICC Telangana in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan. She participated in the padayatra, as did various ministers, MLAs and senior party leaders. Initially we had planned a bus tour, but it was later transformed into a padayatra. The way it is being conducted reminds me of the Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, which traveled from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. I am solely responsible for leading this padayatra," Goud said.

He dismissed rumours of a rift with CM Revanth Reddy, and claimed that they shared a strong relationship. He added that Reddy, Deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka, and several ministers and leaders would join the upcoming phase of the padayatra, which aimed to engage with the public across all regions.

He also said that a BC candidate from the Congress would one day become the Chief Minister of Telangana.

Goud said that a survey was underway to choose the party's candidate for the Jubilee Hills by-election, and that the selection would be made promptly once the notification was issued.

He also criticised BRS president K Chandrashekar Rao for deviating from the tradition of refraining from contesting elections after the death of a sitting MLA.