The Congress party in Telangana is set to intensify its preparations for the Assembly elections with a public meeting at Chevella near here on August 18.

All India Congress Committee president Mallikarjun Kharge will address the public meeting, where the party plans to unveil its declaration for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president A. Revanth Reddy said if voted to power, the Congress party will enhance the reservation quota of SCs and STs.

He told reporters that the Congress would do justice to the SCs and STs by providing them reservation in proportion to their population.

This will be the third major declaration to be unveiled by the party. Last year, Rahul Gandhi had announced farmers’ declaration at a public meeting at Warangal while Priyanka Gandhi had released a youth declaration at a public meeting in Hyderabad on May 8.

Assembly elections in Telangana are due to be held towards the year-end.

The August 18 public meeting will also see former minister and BJP leader A. Chandra Sekhar joining the Congress party. Revanth Reddy met Chandra Sekhar, hours after he resigned from the BJP.

Revanth Reddy told reporters that he invited Chandra Sekhar to join the Congress party and he accepted the invitation. The former minister will join Congress party in the presence of Mallikarjun Kharge.

Chandra Sekhar, who sent his resignation letter to state BJP president G. Kishan Reddy, alleged that the party is not giving due recognition to leaders working hard for the organisation.

Chandra Sekhar had quit Congress to join BJP in 2021. He had earlier served as an MLA from Vikarabad constituency for five times from 1985 to 2008. He was elected on Telugu Desam Party (TDP) ticket from Vikarabad for four consecutive terms. He later joined TRS (now BRS) and was elected on TRS ticket in 2004. He had served as a minister in the Congress-led coalition government in united Andhra Pradesh.

Revanth Reddy alleged that Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and BJP were one and the same. He said both the parties were working to continue KCR rule in Telangana and Modi rule at the Centre.

He said KCR government was doing injustice to SCs by snatching lands which were allotted to them by the Congress governments in the past.

He alleged that the government was earning thousands of crores by auctioning 25 lakh acres assigned lands or lands allotted to Dalits. He accused the government of usurping 10 lakh acres of Podu lands of tribals.

Meanwhile, AICC incharge for Telangana Manikrao Thakare has said that the Congress party is committed to the welfare of Scheduled Tribes. Addressing a meeting of tribals at Gandhi Bhavan, he said Rahul Gandhi interacted with tribals during Bharat Jodo Yatra and had detailed study of their problems.

Manikrao Thakare alleged that RSS was conspiring to scrap the reservation of backward classes. He said differences were being created between Hindus and Muslims and between tribals and adivasis.