Bhongir, Aug.17 (RAHNUMA): AICC Telangana in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan on Monday placed food security and protection of the rights of the poor at the centre of the Congress party’s organisational and political agenda, saying the welfare measures being implemented by the Telangana government reflected the party’s long-standing vision of ensuring that no vulnerable family was denied food, shelter, healthcare or democratic rights.
Addressing a meeting of the Political Affairs Committee of the erstwhile Nalgonda district at Bhongir, Natarajan drew a direct link between the right to vote and the right of ordinary citizens to access the social security measures created for their welfare.
Ministers N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy and Adluri Lakshman participated in the meeting.
Her remarks came in the backdrop of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
She urged Congress workers to remain vigilant and ensure that no genuine voter, particularly from economically weaker sections, was excluded from the electoral rolls.
Natarajan said the Congress organisation would devote its efforts during the month-long exercise to protecting the voting rights of genuine electors and coordinating with the administration wherever necessary.
The AICC in-charge emphasised that protecting a poor citizen’s name on the electoral roll was not merely an electoral exercise but part of a larger effort to safeguard the person’s dignity and access to the benefits of the welfare state.
Referring to the Telangana government’s programmes, including the distribution of fine rice, Indiramma Indlu and Aarogyasri, she said eligible beneficiaries must continue to receive the benefits without disruption.
Natarajan also indicated a strategic shift in the Congress’s preparations for the 2028 Assembly elections, with the party seeking to increasingly focus on a direct political contest with the BJP while strengthening its organisational base.
She stressed the need to consolidate traditional Congress strongholds and turn districts such as the erstwhile Nalgonda, Mahabubnagar and Khammam into strong organisational bastions, while simultaneously expanding the party’s presence in areas where the BJP is seeking to make inroads.
The strategy, she indicated, would involve strengthening the party from the grassroots upwards, with particular emphasis on booth-level organisation and protecting the Congress’s electoral base.
Stating that no genuine voter should be deprived of the right to vote, Natarajan reiterated that the poor must also continue to enjoy their entitlements to fine rice, Indiramma housing and healthcare under Aarogyasri.
