En masse resignation only to expose Cong ''betrayal'':kcr

Hyderabad, May 16 (UNI) Telangana Rashtra Samiti President K Chandrasekara Rao today claimed the en masse resignation by his party MPs and legislators resulting in the May 29 by-elections was only to expose the Congress ''betrayal'' of the Telangana people on the statehood issue.

Addressing the press here, Mr Rao took strong objection to Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's remark linking the TRS formation to denial of ministership to him by the then Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

Dr Reddy through his remark was 'belittling'' the movement and this amounted to great ''insult'' to all the Telangana people, he contended, asking the ruling Congress why it was shying away from accepting the bypolls as a referendum on the statehood issue.

It was the Congress which had challenged him to resign his Karimnagar Lok Sabha seat and contest again last year, he recalled.

He also recalled that TRS members had joined the Rajasekhara Reddy Government with a fond hope that the Congress-led UPA Government would pave the way for creation of new state.

When they realised that the ruling Congress was only prolonging the issue, without any hesitation they quit the coalition government in the state, he added.

The Congress had not learnt any leason from the people's verdict in the Karimnagar Lok Sabha by-election last year. People would again teach an ''unforgettable lesson'' to the Congress in the May 29 byelections, he opined.

Accusing the Congress as also the TDP of indulging in double talk on the statehood issue, he said people would not believe either party who claimed it was not against Telangana.

It was the Telangana sentiment which gave a new lease of life to the ''sinking'' Congress in 2004, he claimed.

Statehood for Telangana was the basis of electoral understanding between the TRS and the Congress, he recalled.

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