Things that Revanth Reddy did right on his Day 1

Morning shows the day, so goes the adage. Telangana PCC chief Revanth Reddy’s day 1 shows that he is playing his cards right and is doing things right. He has given ample indications that he will lead from the front. Here are the key positives of Revanth Reddy’s speech on the day of his taking charge as the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee.

PROMINENCE TO CADRE: He has given enough indications that the party would be driven by the cadre. Unlike the hitherto practice of a handful of leaders deciding everything, Revanth Reddy said the party workers will lead the party to victory in 2023. He said the party cadres were like the Vanara Sena (the army of monkeys) that helped Lord Rama liberate Sita and slay Ravana. He also said that the Congress does not need Prashant Kishores. He said every party worker was both a PK and an AK 47. These comments were greeted with lusty cheers.

HIDING AMBITIONS: When some enthusiastic party workers shouted that Revanth Reddy was going to be the next CM, Revanth not only cut them short, but also said that the Congress Party will work through collective decisions. There would be Jai only to Sonia and Rahul Gandhi and none else. This is a clear indication that the next CM would be decided by the Centre.

SHOW OF STRENGTH: Unlike many PCC chiefs of the Past, Revanth managed to stay in the headlines throughout the day. He did not want the PCC chief’s ascension a hush-hush affair. Starting from worshiping at the Peddamma temple, to long-winding day-long impressive procession, he showed that he has the support of the youth in a big way. His rally was dominated by youth. Also carefully orchestrated garlanding, bursting of crackers gave an impression that there was a real challenger to KCR.

TARGET BJP: Revanth Reddy’s speech talked about all major temples and pilgrimage places in Telangana. Repeated references to Ramayana, Lord Rama, Vanara Sena and other Hindu motifs indicated that taming the BJP would be his first task. He did not want to give the BJP a chance to speak about its Hindutwa brand of politics. So, he himself tried to appropriate some motifs from the Hindu party.