TRS chief to call on Lok Sabha Speaker on Sep 20 or 23

Hyderabad, Sep 15 (UNI) Turning down the Congress appeal to reconsider the decision to resign from the Lok Sabha, Telangana Rashtra Samiti President K Chandrasekara Rao will meet Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee either on September 20 or 23.

Informing this, Party General Secretary and spokesperson V Prakash told UNI that ''there is no question of the party chief reconsidering his decision to quit the lower house of Parliament.'' Taking a cue from Mr Rao, all Congress MPs and MLAs should put in their papers and seek a fresh mandate from the people, he said, describing as 'referendum' on the statehood issue, the bypoll for the Karimnagar Lok Sabha seat as and when held by the Election Commission.

After All India Congress Committee spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi's appeal, senior Congress leader from Telangana V Hanumantha Rao, MP, had urged the TRS supremo to withdraw his resignation in the wake of APCC President K Keshava Rao expressing regrets over his remarks, which triggered the political crisis.

On the question of withdrawing support to the UPA Government at the Centre, he said ''the party is keeping its options open.'' The TRS hoped that the Congress President Sonia Gandhi at least now would positively consider the demand for statehood to Telangana, he added.

Mr Prakash said acknowledgement had been received from the Speaker's office to the resignation letter sent by the party supremo.

Meanwhile, former minister and senior TRS leader N Narasimha Reddy said the party might withdraw support to the UPA Government any time. He hoped that 'better sense' would prevail upon the Congress party and it would concede the demand for carving Telangana state out of Andhra Pradesh.

Mr Prakash said enthused by the success of the 'Samara Shankaravam' at Siddipet, the party was going ahead with the preparations for the 'Orugallu Poru Garjana(battle cry) at Warangal on September 25 to maintain pressure on the Congress.

Ahead of the Warangal meeting, the TRS would involve the students of colleges across the region in a big way in the movement for a separate state.

The party would facilitate formation of Students' Committee in every college and strengthen the party district committees to carry on a relentless struggle to achieve the goal.

UNI SM ROY PR HS1850