Faced with mounting pressure from other parties and organisation, Congress leaders from Telangana region on Tuesday swung in to action to chalk out their own strategy to fight for separate State.
Congress leaders — including the State Ministers, MPs and legislators — met in Hyderabad to discuss the current political situation in the State in the light of recent protest programmes of Telangana Rashtra Samiti and other parties.
The meeting decided to organise a show of strength in the form of a public meeting in Hyderabad and bring further pressure on Congress high command to concede the demand for separate Telagnana State.
The meeting also decided to write another letter to party president Sonia Gandhi urging her to take an immediate decision on the issue to save the party from an imminent debacle in the region in the coming elections.
The meeting heard many leaders sounding a warning that if the party goes to polls without solving Telangana problems it will be wiped out.
Deputy Chief Minister D Rajanarasimha advised all the participants to make it clear to the high command that if Telangana issue was not resolved, they will not contest the elections. Gandra Venkatramanna, the Chief Government whip in the Assembly said that in the present situation it will not be possible for the Congress leaders to go to the people. “It is necessary that we go ahead with a unanimous plan of action,” he said.
A senior Minister Ponnala lakshmaiah warned that party will be wiped out in the elections in the region if the problem was not solved.
The meeting took note that two MPs and a senior leader had already left the party due to the dilly-dallying by the party high command. However, some leaders that only Congress president Sonia Gandhi can solve this problem.
Another senior Minister K Jana Reddy said that appointment of Digvijay Singh as the AICC general secretary incharge of Andhra Pradesh affairs was a good omen as he has been extending the help to the Telangana leaders in taking the cause of separate State forward.
The meeting was attended by 11 Ministers, eight MPs and 23 legislators — including MlAs and MlCs. D Nagendar, Mukesh Goud and R Venkat Reddy were among the Ministers from Telangana who stayed away from the meeting.
The Congressmen in Telangana region were restive after the recent developments — including the “Chalo Assembly” programme organised by Telangana Joint Action Committee and supported by the TRS, the BJP and the CPI.
Meanwhile, K Keshav Rao, who recently quit the Congress to join the TRS took charge as the secretary general and chairman of the national coordination committee of the party. Speaking on the occasion TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao exuded confidence that his party will play a major role in the national politics after the coming elections.
He said that the party will explore the possibility of tie-up with the proposed new front of smaller parties. “Our general secretary Keshav Rao was already in touch with Trinamool Congress president Mamata Banerjee,” he said.
KCR said that Keshav Rao will play an active role in New Delhi in taking the fight of Telangana forward. He also revealed that many more leaders of other parties were willing to join the TRS and talks were on with them.