CPI in talks with Congress to seal poll deal
HYDERABAD: In an interesting development, the CPI has become the hot favourite of both the Congress and the TRS. However, the comrades seem to have decided that the Congress may be a better bet than the pink party.
Initially, CPI had wanted to be part of a Congress-TRS grand alliance but with the two parties parting ways, it appears that it's throwing its weight behind the ruling party.
With time running out, the CPI has initiated a dialogue with the Congress, making the TRS feel uncomfortable since the Left party, though not a major force in Telangana, could still give an edge to whichever party it aligns with.
Apparently keen on weaning away the CPI from the Congress, the TRS has reopened dialogue with the party. TRS leaders K Keshava Rao and B Vinod Kumar held talks with CPI State secretary K Narayana on Monday but they did not appear to have made much headway.
Later in the afternoon, Telangana Congress chief Ponnala Lakshmaiah, who arrived in Hyderabad from Delhi, went into a huddle with Narayana. The CPI leader wanted three MP seats (Khammam, Nalgonda and Bhongir) and 22 Assembly seats but the Congress is understood to have offered one MP and 12 Assembly seats. According to sources, talks are focused on which seats have to be allotted to the CPI.
Indicating which way the wind is blowing, Narayana slammed the TRS for 'treating him badly.' After talks with Keshava Rao and Vinod Kumar in the morning, he made no secret of his displeasure.
'They do not even have time to return phone calls. We have already given a list of seats that we want but the TRS leaders want us to putforth our proposal. It is nothing but a ploy to delay the process,' Narayana said.
News Posted: 25 March, 2014
|
