The Hindu : Congress seals a deal with TRS

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 26, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Congress seals a deal with TRS

By Dasu Kesava Rao and Y. Mallikarjun

HYDERABAD, FEB. 25. The opposition parties in Andhra Pradesh moved a step closer toward giving the nine-year-old Chandrababu Naidu Government a concerted fight in the coming elections to the Assembly and the Lok Sabha when the Congress sealed a seat-sharing deal with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) on Wednesday. Under the arrangement, the TRS may contest 42 Assembly seats and six Lok Sabha seats in the Telangana region.

The principal opposition party is also in the process of wrapping up a similar alliance with the CPI(M) and the CPI.

Today's alliance between the Congress and the sub-regional outfit is the culmination of prolonged battle of wits and one-upmanship. Buoyed by the good turnout at its rallies, the TRS leaders said that in Telangana, the Congress needed their support more than the other way round. The Congress urged the TRS to display a spirit of accommodation in the larger interest of defeating "their common enemy," the Telugu Desam Party. Contrary to their public posture, the AICC and TRS leaders quietly began talks. The State Congress leaders were involved at the later stages.

It was climbdown of sorts for the Congress which only the other day gave the TRS a "take it or leave it" offer of 38 Assembly and five Lok Sabha seats or a 40 and four choice. The TRS which demanded 51 Assembly and seven Lok Sabha seats settled for 42 and six (This is yet to be officially announced). The TRS had set a deadline which expired this forenoon. The talks, deadlocked last night, were resumed this morning between Ghulam Nabi Azad, AICC officer in charge of Andhra Pradesh affairs, and the TRS president, K. Chandrasekhara Rao.

The announcement about the sealing of the alliance was made at Mr. Rao's residence, where Mr. Azad arrived along with the APCC president, D. Srinivas, and other senior Congress leaders. As a result, the TRS withdrew its threat to release the first list of nominees on Wednesday.

The two leaders said they had, in principle, decided to work together in the coming elections.

The details of seat-sharing arrangement would be announced in the next few days after further consultations.

Stating that the Congress had "satisfied" the TRS leadership as far as the issue of a separate Telangana was concerned, Mr. Rao said: "they made their stand clear to us. Together we will make it public at the appropriate time." Mr. Azad said that consultations had been on for the last three months to see that the Congress, the TRS and the Left parties came together and ensure unity of the non-NDA allies with a view to defeating the Telugu Desam Party, under whose dispensation Telangana had not witnessed any development.

The Congress would keep in mind the demands and aspirations of the Telangana people and try to live up to their expectations. Similarly, some pockets of Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra also needed attention. Asked about the reported opposition of the TRS to work with the Left parties, Mr. Azad said there would be an alliance with one of the Left parties and "adjustment" with the other.

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Andhra Pradesh