The Congress on Saturday said that its alliance with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) is likely to be forged next week. Both the parties are likely to open talks over alliance and seat-sharing next week.
A five-member committee was formed by TRS to discuss alliances with any party, including the Congress, after the regional outfit rejected Congress’ advances for a merger, post-Telangana creation, last week. The alliance talks assume significance as the Congress is now looking at making gains in 17 lok Sabha seats and 117 Assembly in the newly-carved State.
“I am in touch with (TRS leader) Keshava Rao. He is likely to come to Delhi on Monday,” AICC in-charge of Andhra Pradesh Digvijay Singh said. TRS has appointed a committee of senior leaders, headed by Keshava Rao, to take a call on the alliance. Singh downplayed questions on the opposition by a section of Telangana Congress leaders against the alliance with TRS.
The Congress’ Telangana gambit ended in a fiasco last week, when TRS ruled out 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 party had hoped it would gobble up the TRS after the passage of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill.
TRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao responded that he would not move beyond offering ‘thanks’ to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. KCR has remained in touch with the BJP also keeping the speculations alive that he would may forge a deal with NDA either. He had called on BJP president Rajnath Singh for conveying his gratitude for backing the cause of the creation of new State.
Asked about former Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy floating a new political party, Digvijay claimed that Reddy had promised him that he would not make such a move. Singh said, Reddy would help all those, who are basically against the Congress and its ideology. On the issue of several Seemandhra Ministers, including Union Minister D Purandeshwari, leaving the Congress party, he said, they are free to join any political party. Asked about the appointment of new Pradesh Congress Committee presidents for Seemandhra and Telangana, he said the announcement would be made in a couple of days.