Telangana: Shashidhar Reddy urges implementation of 'Kamaraj Plan 2.0'

In the wake of Congress' poor performance in the Lok Sabha polls, senior leader Marri Shashidar Reddy on Monday urged the party to implement "Kamaraj Plan 2.0", stating that by doing so, Congress President Rahul Gandhi will get a "free hand" to revamp the party.

"In 1963, Prime Minister Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru made "Kamaraj Plan" and he got all senior Congress leaders holding ministerial office to resign and take up party work. Even after winning elections in 1962, he implemented that plan because of the mess that happened in the party," Reddy told ANI.

"After losing Assembly Elections, I had made a similar appeal on March 2017 to all members of the CWC and AICC office bearers to submit their resignation which I called "Kamaraj Plan version 2.0." So By implementing this plan, party president Rahul Gandhi will get a free hand to reorganize and revamp the Congress party," he added.

Talking about the resolution taken up during Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on May 25, Reddy said, "I wholeheartedly welcome it. CWC took up a new resolution for introspection and requested the Congress president for a complete overhaul and detailed restructuring at every level of the party. I strongly feel that this should be done at the earliest."

Reddy exuded confidence that the party will bounce back.

"Congress will bounce back. I am sure that this kind of freehand that Rahul Gandhi will have to make the party better prepared to gear up, strengthen itself and be prepared to live up to the challenge that it has as the only alternative at the national level to the BJP in the country," he said.

Gandhi, during a meeting of CWC on May 25, had offered to resign, taking responsibility of the party's drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls. However, the CWC had "unanimously" rejected his resignation and "authorised" him to restructure the party at every level.

Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) won nine seats, BJP won four while Congress won three seats in Telangana in the recently held polls.