The Congress, which has been dithering over Telangana for long, is likely to receive a major jolt in Andhra Pradesh as two of its MPs — G Vivekananda and Manda Jagannatham and former MP K Keshava Rao — who have been agitating for separate Telangana State, are planning to join Telangana Rashtra Samiti headed by K Chandrashekhar Rao.
A formal announcement about their decision to join TRS is expected to be made in Hyderabad within a couple of days after the expiry of the ultimatum of May 31 given by these MPs to the Congress leadership to take a decision on the separate State.Admitting that he is planning to join the TRS, Vivekananda told The Pioneer that a formal announcement will be made soon at a meeting.
“All those people who are in favour of Telangana have to be united and forcefully make their demand. We have been asking the Congress leadership to honour their commitment made on the floor of Parliament and create Telanagana which was part of their manifesto also. But since they have not been listing to our demand, we have not much option left,” he said.
This was also confirmed by Chandrashekhar Rao’s son KT Rama Rao. However, sources said that another Congress MP S Rajaiah, who had also joined forces with them has backed out after he reportedly failed to get an assurance from TRS that he would get to contest the Warangal lok Sabha seat again in the next elections.
These MPs from Telangana have been pressing the Central leadership for long to honour the commitment made by then Home Minister P Chidambaram on December 9, 2009 about creation of a separate State of Telangana. But the Central leadership has been resisting their demand fearing backlash from Andhra and Rayalseema region. It has failed to take a decision even after the Srikrishna Committee submitted its report on the matter.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy is in the National capital, is not affected by the decision of these MPs and said that people are free to join any party in a democracy but, they cannot set a deadline on the sensitive and delicate issue of a separate State.
However, he is likely to hold consultations with the central leadership, including AICC in-charge of Andhra Pradesh Ghulam Nabi Azad, about the latest political developments.