Hyderabad: In the face of immense odds, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi launched the campaign for beleaguered Congress party in Seemandhra region promising to develop it in to a model state.

Voters in the region are angry with the ruling Congress party for dividing Andhra Pradesh state into two, to create the new state of Telangana.

Rahul said it was at the insistence of his mother Sonia Gandhi that the UPA government decided to create a special package for Seemandhra.

The plan includes tax holiday for the development of backwards areas, building a new state capital and granting the status of national project to Polavaram, a move which was crucial for farmers in the region.

Addressing a modestly attended election rally at Hindupur in Anantapur, Rahul tried to explain the issue of bifurcation. Agreeing that the division of Andhra Pradesh was painful for many people, Rahul said, “the issue was pending for the last sixty years”.

At the same time the Congress was the last party to take a decision on bifurcation after all the other parties including Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and YSR Congress party gave in writing their support to it.

Showering promises of sops on Seemandhra region, Rahul said that the students from Seemandhra would continue to enrol at educational institutions in Hyderabad for ten years as the city belonged to everyone.

Promising that work on a new capital for Seemandhra will begin within six months of the formation of the next government, Rahul also pledged to make the region a hub of higher education.

“We will bring the best educational institutions like IIT, NIT, IIIT, IIM, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, and Agricultural, tribal and Petroleum Universities here,” he said.

With most of its sitting MPs and MLAs deserting to join YSR Congress and the TDP, the Congress was facing bleak prospects in 25 Lok Sabha and 175 assembly constituencies in the region.

Referring to the exodus Rahul said he regretted that the leaders did not have faith in the people of the region.

He reminded people of the special relationship between Andhra and the Congress party.

“Especially my grandmother Indiraji had a very close relationship with the region,” he said.

Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh, Seemandhra Congress chief N Raghuveera Reddy and Union Minster Chiranjeevi were also present.

After Rahul, Congress president Sonia Gandhi was slated to tour the region and address an election rally in Guntur on Friday.