Coordination between government and party my top agenda, says TPCC chief Mahesh Goud

What is going to be your priority as the PCC chief?

First and the foremost need of the hour is the perfect coordination between the government and the party in Telangana. Its close to nine months since the Congress party came to power and the government has been able to fulfil all its promises listed out in the manifesto. We have done more that what was expected. My priority will be to forge hassle-free coordination between the government and the party. My rapport with Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy will help in better coordination in the days to come.

What needs to be done to infuse more confidence among the cadres?

I feel the immediate task for me is to strengthen the party from the booth-level. The cadres had suffered in the last 10 years during the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) regime but with the Congress coming to power, they are now enthused to work harder. I wish to spend more time with the party workers and tour districts for more interactive sessions with the grass roots workers and leaders.

The Congress party has yet again ensured caste balance by appointing a BC as the party chief while an OC is the Chief Minister?

The Congress party is known to respect and recognise the caste balance at every stage. My appointment as the PCC chief from the BC community is not new. Earlier if, you see, the Central leadership has always followed caste balance. Right from the days when Dr M. Channa Reddy and N. Janardhan Reddy were the Chief Ministers, the party had appointed BC stalwarts like V. Hanumantha Rao and Majji Tulasidas as the party chiefs. The trend continued during the Chief Ministership of Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy and subsequent CMs like K. Rosaiah and N. Kiran Kumar Reddy also when top BC leaders like D. Srinivas, Botcha Satyanarayana and Ponnala Lakshmaiah held the PCC president’s post.

What could have triggered the party reposing faith in you and appointing you as State unit chief?

Central leaders like Rahul Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi all recognise grass-roots leaders, who are grounded. My track record as NSUI leader, then as Youth Congress and PCC office bearer and also my stint as the working president of the TPCC has been appreciated. I will not disappoint the Central leaders and the Congress government here.

What about your equation with Rahul Gandhi?

My ultimate goal is to see Rahul Gandhi as the next Prime Minister of the country. I will do my best to strengthen the party and ensure that Congress party retains power in 2028 Assembly elections and gets maximum seats in the General Elections also.