Telangana Congress Leaders Appeal for NRI Support at Baltimore Convention
Yesterday, at the ATA convention in Baltimore, Telangana ministers called on overseas Indians to back Rahul Gandhi's national leadership and the state's Congress administration.
The Telangana Congress is reaching out to the Non-Resident Indian community at the American Telugu Association (ATA) Convention, seeking support for Rahul Gandhi's prime ministerial candidacy and highlighting the state's development agenda. This outreach comes as the party works to mobilize diaspora engagement ahead of upcoming electoral cycles, leveraging the convention's platform to connect with influential Telugu professionals abroad. The initiative reflects the Congress party's broader strategy to strengthen its national and state-level prospects by tapping into NRI networks for both political advocacy and investment-driven growth narratives for Telangana.
Telangana’s Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Excise Minister Jupally Krishna Rao addressed the Indian Overseas Congress on the sidelines of the 19th American Telugu Association convention in Baltimore on Sunday, urging the diaspora to back the party’s government in the state and its national leadership under Rahul Gandhi. The ministers framed the appeal around a narrative of fiscal recovery and ambitious infrastructure targets, contrasting their ten-month-old administration with the decade-long rule of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) (The Hindu).
Speaking as chief guest at the IOC representatives’ meeting, Vikramarka said the Congress government had inherited a debt-ridden economy and restored fiscal stability, noting that salaries of government employees were now credited on the first day of every month after chronic delays under the previous regime. He cited the introduction of a ₹1.20 crore accident insurance cover for government staff as a welfare marker. On the development front, the Deputy Chief Minister outlined the “Telangana Rising 2047” vision, targeting a $1 trillion economy within five years and $3 trillion by 2047. He announced plans for “Bharat Future City” at Mucherla, envisaged as a pollution-free, net-zero urban centre alongside Hyderabad, Secunderabad and Cyberabad, and described a three-zone economic strategy covering Core Urban (CURE), Peri-Urban (PURE) and Rural Agri (RARE) areas (The Hindu).
Vikramarka pointed to the HYDRAA system launched to protect lakes, drainage channels and government lands from encroachment, and the Musi Riverfront Project aimed at rejuvenating the river into a tourism and commercial hub. He said rapid progress on the Regional Ring Road, Metro Rail Phase-II expansion and rising investments had helped lift the state’s per capita income to ₹4.18 lakh, inviting overseas Telugu entrepreneurs to become partners in the growth trajectory. The ministers alleged that forces “hostile” to Telangana’s progress were attempting to tarnish the state government’s image, accusing the BRS of leaving the state financially weak and charging the Bharatiya Janata Party with trying to expand its political footprint using “all its means.” They warned it would be disastrous for Telangana if the two forces regained power (The Hindu).
Government Whip Addanki Dayakar and several MLAs attended the meeting alongside Vijaya Dairy Chairman Gutta Amit Reddy and IOC representatives. The outreach in Baltimore reflects the Congress’s broader effort to mobilise NRI networks for political advocacy and investment ahead of upcoming electoral cycles, leveraging the ATA convention’s concentration of influential Telugu professionals abroad.
The Hindu