Jaipal Reddy decides to set up his T-front

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Hyderabad: Union minister S. Jaipal Reddy is all set to quit the Cabinet in May if there is no favourable decision on Telangana by then, according to a senior Congress MP from Telangana and a close relative of the Union science and technology minister.
Reddy may not contest the next Lok Sabha polls and may announce quitting active politics when the election schedule is announced.
The MP, who does not want to be named, disclosed this to newsmen in the Assembly lobbies on Monday.
However, according to another source, Jaipal Reddy, who has not hitherto opened up on the Telangana issue as he is a Union minister, may float a Telangana front before the next general election.
“We may not rule out Jaipal Reddy floating a Telangana front with the help of six hardcore Telangana Congress MPs who have been agitating on the issue, and panchayati raj minister K. Jana Reddy, who is considered the sishya (pupil) of Jaipal Reddy,” said the source.
Jaipal’s party may ally with TRS
Explaining the reasons for Union minister S. Jaipal Reddy floating a Telangana front, a source said, “Everybody knows that there are chances of a Third Front at the national level, against the Congress and BJP. It is also a fact that the Congress is not going to grant Telangana state.
The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) may not align with either the Congress or the BJP. At the same time, the Congress MPs cannot join the TRS. It is an open secret now that Jaipal Reddy will float a Telangana front and have an alliance with the TRS, CPI and other like-minded pro-Telangana organisations.”
The source recalled that Jaipal Reddy was very active in the formation of Third Fronts before he joined the Congress. The minister maintains good relations with everyone in Delhi.
Meanwhile Jana Reddy said that the Telangana Congress leaders will take an appropriate decision if the Congress does not grant statehood to the region.
“We expect by the end of Parliament’s Budget Session that the Centre will announce a decision favourable to Telangana. If that is not going to happen, we know what to do,” Jana Reddy warned.
Jaipal Reddy, who was in Vikarabad on Monday, could not be reached for comment.