TRS averse to merger, keen on alliance
HYDERABAD: TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao is understood to be dodging the issue of merging his party with the Congress, giving the jitters to the latter's Telangana leaders.
Though he had offered to merge the TRS with the Congress if the ruling party carved a separate State of Telangana out of AP, KCR now appears to be reluctant to keep his word for the simple reason that his stock is on the rise in Telangana after the Lok Sabha passed the T Bill.
The Congress is, however, using all the tricks up its sleeve to bring him to heel. Party leader Digvijaya Singh, when he met KCR recently, tried his best to elicit his views on merger.
The TRS chief has of late been repeating only one thing to his party leaders ' 'we can take a call on merger only after the formation of T State.'
A TRS leader told on condition of anonymity, 'There may not be a merger. At the most, he might say yes to an alliance though he does not need it either.'
As Telangana State is now more or less a reality, party workers too are reminding their chief of the 'problems' the party would have if it merges with the Congress.
First, it will lose its identity and KCR would have to play second fiddle to Congress leaders just like Chiranjeevi. Second, he will have to allow several Congress candidates to contest from constituencies where he intends to have his men.
Those who have been hoping to get party tickets from KCR had requested him to keep their interests in mind while dealing with the Congress. KCR, sources said, is also not in faovur of merger.
'KCR will take a call on merger or alliance at the time of elections,' a TRS source said. KCR is at the moment interested in a victory rally in Hyderabad in March first week. Congress leaders too are planning a rally this month-end.
News Posted: 20 February, 2014
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