Cong MPs, MLAs should quit or convince Sonia: TRS chief

Hyderabad, Dec 8 (UNI) Ruling out rejoining the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance Government at the Centre, Telangana Rashtra Samiti chief K Chandrasekara Rao today asked Congress MPs and MLAs from the Telangana region to resign or convince UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to facilitate carving out a separate Telangana state.

Fresh from an impressive landslide victory in the Karimnangar Lok Sabha bypoll, Mr Rao told reporters here he was in touch with Nationalist Congress Party chief and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and other leaders sympathetic to the cause of Telangana to chalkout the TRS party's future course of action.

Mr Rao, who had won the Karimnagar seat with a record margin of over 200,000 votes, vowed to carry forward a relentless struggle and exert political pressure on the ruling Congress to fulfill the long pending demand of the people of the region.

Maintaining that there was a broad consensus on the statehood issue with the opposition BJP openly coming out in support of the demand, he said the ruling UPA should not further test the patience of the Telangana people, who were now observing restraint and pursuing their goal in a democratic and peaceful way.

He urged the TDP leaders from Telangana to quit their party and strengthen the movement for statehood.

The former Union Labour Minister, who quit the Manmohan Singh Government in protest against the delay in formation of a separate Telangana state, said at least now the Congress should open its eyes and take necessary legal steps for the creation of a new state, in deference to the wishes of the people, who had voted cutting across religious, casteist and other considerations and despite alleged largescale misuse of official machinery.

Mr Rao, who had resigned the seat accepting a political challenge from the Congress in protest against the delay in carving out a separate Telangana state, remarked that ''now it has become clear who has won with whose support.

''The Congress will have no future if it continues to pretend that there is no consensus on the issue,'' he opined.

Asking Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy to give up ''anti-Telangana' policies, he warned of massive stirs against irrigation projects like Pulichintla and Pothireddypadu, detrimental to the interests of the Telangana people.

Thanking all sections of people, he said 500 persons from each assembly constituency would be trained at the party headquarters to step up the efforts to achieve a separate Telangana state.

UNI SM ROY PA VV1852