Congress leaders from Telangana meet Rahul Gandhi

NEW DELHI: A delegation of Congress leaders from Telangana, who lost the Lok Sabha elections, today met party Vice President Rahul Gandhi and extended their support to him for strengthening the party in the newly-carved out state.

"A Lok Sabha MP and six former MPs met Rahul Gandhi...We told Gandhi to go ahead, we are with you to reconcile and reconstruct Telangana Congress and the state. You advise us, we are with you," Ponnam Prabakar, who lost in Karimnagar Parliamentary constituency, said.

During the 45-minute meeting issues behind the party's defeat in Telangana was discussed.

Congress suffered a drubbing in assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Telangana with the national party winning only one Lok Sabha seat and 21 assembly seats.

The unexpected poll debacle was against the perception that Congress party would emerge victorious in the state, which was carved out from Andhra Pradesh.

Another MP Madhu Yaskhi Goud, who lost in Nizamabad, said they had deliberated several issues with Gandhi, including the defeat of those fought for the Telangana cause.

"There is a special judgement by the people -- how people who fought for Telangana lost and people who deceived Telangana and never raised Telangana voice have been elected," he noted.

Expressing surprise over a YSRCP MP winning from Telangana region, Goud said the Telangana leaders have extended their support for Gandhi to rejuvenate Congress.

On the future course of action, G Vivekanand, who re-joined Congress after creation of Telangana, said the party should make Telangana people realise that Telangana was a reality only because of party president Sonia Gandhi.