The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), which was in the process of forming the first State Government in Telangana, has started making overtures towards the other smaller parties to further cement its political position.
In first such attempt, a group of TRS leaders -- including K Taraka Rama Rao -- met the Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (MIM) leaders in Hyderabad to seek the party’s cooperation to ensure rapid development of the new State.
A delegation of senior party leader N Narsimha Rao, party president K Chandrasekhar Rao’s son K Taraka Rama Rao, E Raijinder and some other legislators called on MIM president and MP Asaduddin Owaisi and his younger brother and party’s floor leader in the State Assembly Akbaruddin Owaisi at latter’s residence.
Though officially both the side said the meeting was only to discuss the ways of cooperation, sources said that the TRS invited the MIM to join the Government. However, the MIM declined to accept it assuring that it will extend full support to the TRS Government to strengthen the secular forces and keep the communal forces under check. The MIM has won seven Assembly seats and one parliamentary seat.
Sources said this was first round and another round of meeting between K Chandras-ekhar Rao and the MIM chief will take place very soon to take the discussions forward.
Sources said that the MIM had prepared a charter of demand for the new Government to secure the interest of Hyderabad city and the minorities. The demand includes continuing the educational benefits for the students extended during the YSR Government, reservations in jobs and education, which the TRS has promised to increase to 12 per cent and promotion of Urdu language and education.
The demands regarding the Hyderabad city include an exclusive mega-power plant near Hyderabad to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the city and implementation of drinking water projects.
For the development of Telangana region, the MIM has demanded setting up industries in every district to generate employment for the local people.
The TRS on the other hand has committed that it will have nothing to do with communal forces and work to strengthen the secular fabric. Significantly, the party has committed to pass the anti-communal riots Bill, which the UPA Government could not pass in Parliament, sources said.
After the meeting, the MIM chief said that his party will work in close coordination with the TRS. “We will extend full cooperation and support to ensure rapid development of Hyderabad and Telangana,” he said.