Congress president Sonia Gandhi at the Karimnagar election rally.
Sonia Gandhi, whose party pushed for the creation of a new Telangana state, visited the region for the first time since Parliament agreed to
bifurcate Andhra Pradesh. The controversial move, which eventually cleared Parliament, was fashioned as a vote-getter by the Congress ahead of the election. But with just days to go before Telangana votes, Congress leaders worry that Mrs Gandhi's visit may be too late to adrenalize their campaign.
"We keep the promises we make. Now the era of struggle is over. It is time now to run a responsible government. The Congress is the only party that can do it,'' Sonia Gandhi said in a Hindi speech at Ambedkar stadium in Karimnagar, where, five years ago, she had said Telangana, which includes the IT hub of Hyderabad, would realize its ambition of statehood. (
Elections: Full coverage)
Congress leaders in the area admit privately that she should have visited much earlier to stake claim to the loyalty of voters and to urge them to support her party for ensuring the mapping of Telangana as India's 29th state. (
Ahead of elections, fight over credit for Telangana)
In recent weeks, they say, the thunder has been stolen by
K Chandrasekhar Rao, who fronted the campaign for state-hood and has
refused to partner his Telangana Rashtra Samiti party (TRS) with the Congress for the election.
"After the Bill was passed (in Parliament), immediately we should have taken a big meeting. Because of a little bit of delay, KCR has taken advantage saying 'I brought, I brought' (the Telangana state)," said Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao. (
KCR urges Telangana voters to 'throw out Andhra parties')
In her speech, Mrs Gandhi said that KCR's party had played no role in Parliament in clearing the plan for a new state. Other parties like the BJP, she said, had tried tacitly to stymie the move.