With Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi insisting that his tour solely focus on farmers and agriculture-related issues, the earlier plan of him visiting Osmania University to interact with students has been dropped from the itinerary.

However, he will interact with OU students at the Shamshabad airport for ten-minutes before proceeding to Nirmal in Adilabad district on May 11. On the way, he would hold separate interactions with farmers and party workers in Toopran, Kamareddy, Balakonda and Armoor.

“He (Rahul)specifically told us that he doesn’t want to focus anything expect farmers and their issues this time. So, we had to drop OU from his itinerary. But, we have made special arrangements at the airport for him to interact with students there,” TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy told Express.

However, the Congress vice-president would visit the state again in June for an interaction with students and academics in Osmania University. He would also interact with press persons at the Hyderabad Press Club and party workers at Gandhi Bhavan, TPCC president added.

To rejuvenate the sagging morale of the party in the state, TPCC leaders were putting up a united face to make best out of Rahul’s tour to expose the failures of the TRS government.

Addressing a press conference jointly here on Thursday, Congress heavyweights K Jana Reddy, Mallu Bhatti Vikramaraka, Shabbir Ali, Ponnala Lakshmaiah and TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy affirmed that their leader’s visit was aimed at boosting the morale of kin of farmers, who had committed suicides.

Alleging that the TRS government had failed completely in mitigating an agrarian crisis, Jana Reddy demanded the government to increase the ex gratia paid to families of farmers, who had committed suicides, from `1 lakh to `10 lakh.

Meanwhile, former TPCC president Ponnala Lakshmaiah said Rahul’s visit would also bring about a major change in the politics of the state besides building confidence in the farming community.

Sonia to Address Meeting on June 2?

As the TRS government is planning grand celebrations to mark the first anniversary of the state formation, Telangana Congress leaders want to outdo the same by bringing their supremo Sonia Gandhi to address a public meeting in the state on June 2. However, it has not been finalised yet.

The idea behind this is to remind people of the state that it was the Congress party and its president who had made Telangana state a reality.

“Many leaders are of the view that it is better to hold a public meeting with the Congress president on June 2. However, she(Sonia) has not indicated her interest so far,” N Uttam Kumar Reddy said.