Southern States - Andhra Pradesh   

Let's work together, KCR tells CPI

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD Dec. 27. Notwithstanding a cautious approach preferred by the State CPI, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi president, K. Chandrasekhara Rao, on Saturday declared that there would be a formal electoral alliance with that party in the coming Assembly elections. "We will campaign and fight jointly and the number of seats where we will contest will be decided shortly".

Addressing a press conference, Mr. Rao said he had discussed the issue at a three-hour meeting with Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy, secretary of the State CPI and other leaders on Friday. He made a fervent appeal to Mr. Reddy not to insist on formation of a second State reorganisation committee, as it would only lead to delay. The issue was settled 50 years ago when the first committee led by Fazal Ali favoured formation of a separate Telangana. He contended that he got a positive response from the CPI leaders on this issue. "They want to declare their support in stages but we appealed to them to do it straightway".

Mr. Rao was all praise for the way the CPI changed its stand totally from being a strong votary of integrated "Vishalandhara" State to that of a separate Telangana and said it was yet another acknowledgement of the strong separatist sentiment prevailing in the region. "We should not forget that they had opposed separate Telangana movement when it was at its peak in 1969. We are moving closer to polarisation of pro and anti- separate Telangana political forces".

He referred to the "much softer approach" towards Telangana by the CPI(M) and said he would salute them with a "lal salaam", if they too threw their weight behind the separatist movement. The political affairs committee of the TRS would meet here tomorrow to evolve a strategy.

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