TRS likely to break up with Congress; KCR to contest again

Hyderabad, Sep 22 (UNI) With the relationship between the Congress and the Telangana Rashtra Samiti(TRS) coming to a halt after AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh declaring the Congress party could face the election, if former Union Minister and TRS supremo K Chandrasekhara Rao insisted on his resignation from the Karimnagar Lok Sabha seat.

TRS sources here, however said in all likelihood, Mr Rao himself would contest the bypoll. Mr Rao said the party would decide the candidate, though he was persuaded by TRS MPs and MLAs to contest the by-poll.

Mr Rao who is in New Delhi is scheduled to meet the Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee tomorrow and insist on accepting his resignation from Lok Sabha.

The TRS Chief got an appointment with President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam on September 26, and would give him a letter withdrawing his party's support to the UPA Government at the Centre.

The statement of Digvijay Singh that the Congress would no longer request Mr Rao to withdraw his resignation from Lok Sabha, as it had already done so a number of times in the past, has further hardened the attitude of the TRS leader.

Mr Rao, who had resigned from the Union Cabinet along with his colleague A Narendra, protesting against the delay in UPA Government taking decision on Telangana, had already stated that he would not withdraw his resignation from Lok Sabha, unless there was an assurance from the Congress that separate Telangana State would be a reality, the sources added Meanwhile, TRS senior leader and former AP Minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy alleged in a press conference here the Chief Minister was trying to have a truck with the opposition TDP to defeat Mr Rao in Karimnagar byelection.

Mr Reddy said such an effort would defeat the very purpose, as the ''unholy alliance'' between the Congress and the TDP would further strengthen the hands of the TRS. He demanded that the Chief Minister should resign, if Mr Rao, emerges victorious again.

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