K. Chandrasekhar Rao refuses to accept merger
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Hyderabad: TRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao apparently has no plans to renew his offer of a merger with the Congress, in lieu of Telangana, till the Centre carves out a separate state.
Sources in the party said Rao has made it clear to leaders of both parties that he would take a decision on the “request” of the Congress only after a bill on Telangana is introduced and passed in Parliament.
The Congress, on its part, has kept Rao away from its ongoing T-deliberations in order to gain political mileage, while the TRS chief too has kept the Congress on tenterhooks by sporadic statements.
However, those close to Rao say the Congress high command is in touch with him and is keeping him in the loop over any development.
Rao is making it public that he cannot trust the Congress till a T-bill is passed and cited the women’s reservation bill as an example. He said he had made the merger offer in New Delhi several times, but the Congress gave him a cold shoulder and wanted to gain politically by taking a decision on its own.
Though senior Congress leader and MLC, D. Srinivas, went public asking TRS to merge t party before the Congress decides in favour of Telangana, the TRS leadership ignored it. But T-Congress leaders are confident TRS will accede to their request for a “price.”
TRS secretary-general Dr K. Keshava Rao said the party would stay even after the formation of Telangana.
“There is no second opinion about it. The party will continue even after Telangana is formed. The party would help in reconstruction of Telangana,” he said.
The party’s deputy floor leader, T. Harish Rao, too ruled out a merger of the party, saying the Congress should first honour its commitment on Telangana.
“We saw what happened to Chiranjeevi and Praja Rajyam. Chiranjeevi was made to run from pillar to post till he got a Union Cabinet berth and some posts in the state. TRS, too, will face similar fate,” a TRS leader said.
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