Telangana leaders to rope in UPA Allies for fight

Telangana Congress MPs appear to have made further ground in forging an emotional integration with the Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC), this time over the breakfast table.

TJAC chairman Prof M Kodandaram and Telangana Gazetted Officers’ Association president V Srinivas Goud on Sunday met the Congress MPs at the breakfast that Nizamabad MP Madhu Yashki Goud hosted for visiting Union civil aviation minister Ajit Singh. The Union minister, along with Sharad Pawar, is one of the few leaders who have announced support for separate Telangana.

The Congress MPs who attended the breakfast were Palvai Govardhan Reddy, Manda Jagannatham, Siricilla Rajaiah, Gutta Sukhender Reddy and senior Congress leader K Kesava Rao. Later, speaking to mediapersons, Ajit Singh said the meeting had discussed the statehood issue in the backdrop of the successful Telangana March. But he added that he could not provide a time frame for the creation of Telangana.

“We have been hearing the statements that Telangana state will be formed very soon for the past several years. But, I can’t say when. However, I can say one thing. If all Telangana forces continue to fight hand in hand, the long-cherished dream of the Telangana people would definitely become a reality,” he said. Meanwhile, Madhu Yashki revealed that they were striving to win over support from UPA allies in order to step up pressure on the Centre. “We have discussed with Ajit Singh the strategy to get the support of UPA partners,” he said.

Kesava Rao also said that this was the way forward. “We have already held talks with the MPs of the TDP over the issue. We will take the support of all the parties which are ready to fight to achieve statehood for the region,” he said. Meanwhile, Palvai Govardhan Reddy said that the ongoing talks between the Congress high command and the TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao would continue in the coming days too so as to arrive at a solution.

Reacting to the statement by Vijayawada MP Lagadapati Rajagopal that the AICC leadership had not called the TRS chief to Delhi, Palvai said the “mentally disturbed leader” was making meaningless statements on the issue.