The Congress party in Telangana has decided to bring back an old practice from the days of Unified Andhra Pradesh (AP). Starting from September 20, all Ministers will be required to visit Gandhi Bhavan twice a week. These visits will happen on a rotating schedule, with each Minister reserving two days every week.
This decision was made by the newly-appointed Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president, B Mahesh Kumar Goud, on Wednesday. He has instructed party staff to create a detailed plan, including a schedule that will assign specific dates to each Minister. On these days, the Ministers will be available to listen to public grievances and take feedback from party cadres. The chosen days for these visits will be Wednesdays and Fridays.
According to party sources, each Minister will have to spend two to three hours during their allocated time. Unlike the state Secretariat, where access is limited and rules are strict, Gandhi Bhavan will offer easier access to the general public and party members. This will allow people from both the city and rural areas to directly communicate with Ministers. The idea is to reduce the gap between the government and the public, making the administration more responsive. A senior leader noted that this practice has been successful for the AIMIM party at Darussalam, which has helped them perform well in elections.
In the past, this system was used during the tenure of former Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy in Unified AP. Back then, some of his Ministers regularly visited Gandhi Bhavan to interact with both the public and party cadres. This practice was also common at the national level during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) governments, where even Union Ministers were expected to visit local Congress offices during state visits.
However, this practice was discontinued during the tenures of former Chief Ministers Rosaiah and Kiran Kumar Reddy. Now, with Congress back in power in Telangana, this system is being reintroduced for the first time in many years. PCC President Mahesh Kumar Goud had mentioned this proposal as one of his key priorities when he took charge on September 15. He has also requested Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to visit Gandhi Bhavan at least twice a month.
