AP Congress to hold rallies to thank PM, Sonia

Hyderabad, Apr 9 (UNI) The ruling Congress will hold rallies in different parts of Andhra Pradesh during the month to thank Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi for the Centre's Rs 60,000 crore loan waiver package for farmers.

Talking to newspersons here today, Pradesh Congress president D Srinivas said the party would highlight the welfare schemes and developmental programmes taken up by the Manmohan Singh government at the Centre and they Rajasekhara Reddy government in the state.

Reiterating that his party wanted to have electoral ties with the Left parties and the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) for the next Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the state, he said political alignments or realignments were likely only five months before the polls.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary Veerappa Moily and AICC Secretary Iqbal Singh would take part in some of the rallies, he said.

Claiming that the party had fully prepared to face byelections to the seats vacated by the TRS, he said the candidates would be finalised by the Central Election Committee after notification was issued.

Dismissing the stir announced by the Opposition to protest price rise as ''politically-motivated,'' he said the ruling party would always welcome constructive criticism, but ignore 'politically motivated' stirs.

Making it clear that he had no intention to change District Congress Commmitee (DCC) presidents, he said ''I respect all appointments made by my predecessor.'' A review of the functioning of all DCCs would be undertaken in consultation with local leaders to keep the party ''fighting fit,'' he added.

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