MIM legislators seeking support to Pranab Dada, Hyderabad

Hyderabad: As part of the campaign for the Presidential election scheduled to be held on July 19, the nominee of United Progressive Alliance Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday met ruling Congress MPs, MLAs and MLCs at Jubilee Hall in the city and sought their support for his candidature.

Talking to media persons after the meeting, the 77-year-old Mukherjee expressed gratitude to all the parties who have extended their support to his candidature. Stating that he was working in the Congress party since 1978, he thanked the UPA government and its allies – SP, BSP, CPI, JD(U) and Shiv Sena for supporting his candidature for the President’s post.

When the reporters asked Pranab Mukherjee whether he would meet YSR Congress party president Jagan Mohan Reddy seeking his support for his candidature, Mukherjee said that he was yet to take a decision on it.

Mukherjee, who arrived in Hyderabad from Chennai on Sunday morning, was welcomed by Union Minister and Congress in-charge of AP Affairs Ghulam Nabi Azad, Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha, Pradesh Congress Committee president Botsa Satyanarayana, Union Minister of State in the PMO V Narayana Swamy and Congress legislators at the Begumpet Airport.
He drove straight to the Jubilee Hall, where he attended a meeting of Congress Legislature Party with all MPs, MLAs and MLCs and sought their support for his candidature. According to sources, the CLP unanimously passed a resolution supporting Pranab’s candidature for the President’s post.

Later, Pranab also met MIM leaders at Taj Krishna and sought their support for his candidature.

Pranab’s visit was also marred by protest by a few pro-Telangana activists, Mala Mahanadu and Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi. The protestors seperately tried to stop his convoy but the police intervened and foiled their attempts. The protestors and arrested and shifted to a nearby police station.

The protestors raised ‘Jai Telangana’ slogans demanded Mukherjee to make his stand clear on the demand for separate State of Telangana.  (INN)