Congress’ Telangana gambit ended in a fiasco on Monday, when the Telangana Rashtriya Samiti (TRS) ruled out party’s merger with the Congress and appointed a committee to look into the issue of electoral alliance without specifying any party as its prospective ally.
The Congress had hoped it would gobble up the TRS after the passage of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill, but TRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao is not ready to go beyond offering “thanks” to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and PM Manmohan Singh.
The development will be a major blow to the Congress, which has already lost the lJP to the NDA and is not able to persuade RJD chief lalu Prasad to enter into a seat-sharing arrangement on its term. The Congress was looking at making gains in 17 lok Sabha seats and 117 Assembly seats in the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh. Rao is critical of the attitude of the Congress and the Centre saying the UPA Government has come out with an Ordinance giving Special Category status to the residuary State while denying the same to the new State of Telangana. “It is an undemocratic move which will be challenged in the Supreme Court,” Rao said and opposed Hyderabad as joint capital. He also criticised Union Minister Jairam Ramesh, who had reportedly said that the TRS will become another Aam Aadmi Party.
Speaking to the media in Hyderabad after the TRS politburo meeting, Rao said the party was unanimous on the decision not to merge with the Congress and a five-member committee has been formed to discuss alliances with any party, including the Congress.
Rao said Sonia Gandhi was misguided by some Congress leaders on the issue of merger. “I had promised to merge if they (UPA) announced Telangana in September 2013. We were never taken into confidence by the Congress during the time when the Telangana Bill was prepared. None of our demands for Telangana were conceded by the Union Government,” KCR said. The party is upset with the Congress for allowing actor Vijayashanti to join it. “It was not proper to admit an expelled TRS MP (Vijayashanti) into Congress at this stage,” KCR said.
Incidentally, KCR has remained in touch with the BJP too. He had called on BJP president Rajnath Singh for conveying his gratitude for backing the cause of the creation of new State. Analysts say by not agreeing to merge with the Congress, the TRS has kept open the possibility of joining the NDA if voted to power. Two TDP MlAs Nagesh and Satyavathi Rathod officially joined the TRS in the presence of KCR during the meeting.
Meanwhile, deadlock over the Congress-RJD alliance in Bihar continued with divergent views within the Congress leadership in choosing the probable alliance. While one section prefers JD(U) over lalu Prasad, another wanted to go with the RJD. lalu has made it clear he will not offer more than 11 of the 40 lok Sabha seats to the Congress. “Unlike the BJP, the Congress has many options even in Bihar,” said senior leader PC Chacko, who heads the AICC Scrutiny Committee for Bihar.
“The matter is likely to come up on Tuesday at the party’s Central Election Committee where top leaders including Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Rahul would be present. Meanwhile, JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav ruled out any seat adjustments with the Congress, maintaining that his party was part of the front of 11 non-BJP, non-Congress parties. At the same time, AICC spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi dismissed suggestions that RJD chief lalu Prasad had given any time limit for Congress to accept his offer of 11 seats. “We are moving in the direction of what is proper and most effective for both Congress and RJD”, said Singhvi.