The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : TRS, Congress in perfect sync: KCR

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 12, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

TRS, Congress in perfect sync: KCR

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, APRIL 11. The TRS president, K. Chandrasekhar Rao, has maintained that there is no confusion between his party and the Congress on the Telangana issue and the very fact that the latter has entered into alliance with the TRS showed that it is was favourably disposed towards it.

Replying to questions at a press conference here on Sunday, Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao reiterated that the TRS was firmly committed to its objective of achieving a separate Telangana State. There was also no confusion with regard to the Congress stand as the CWC resolution, circulated by the APCC president, D. Srinivas, clearly stated that it respected the first SRC. Congressmen might not be saying it explicitly out of fear of losing votes in the Andhra region.

He said that his party would bring pressure through coalition partners on the Congress, if elected to power at the Centre, for the formation of Telangana State. He said the CPI stand that the second SRC should look into the issue was an "insult" and had no meaning.

Mr. Rao accused TDP supremo, N. Chandrababu Naidu, of encouraging "coverts" and rebels in other parties. Alleging that Mr. Naidu was behind the charges being made by some of the dissidents, he, however, sought to make light of dissidence in the TRS, saying that it was not much and some of the functionaries were expressing their anguish. He would be speaking to them and sort out the issue.

He said the TDP, on the other hand, was facing a much bigger problem with dissidence surfacing in 140 Assembly constituencies and rebels remaining in the fray in 40 other seats. He lashed out at the TDP leader for indulging in "personal attacks" and belittling the TRS through "false propaganda.''

Having realised that TDP was fast losing ground, Mr. Naidu was resorting to "mean tactics" to come back to power. Initially the TDP attempted to "enrol bogus voters'' but the Election Commission stepped in and cancelled 91 lakhs of them. In order to take the Opposition by surprise, he later dissolved the Assembly and was now trying to "derive political mileage'' by creating confusion in the TRS and criticising its alliance with the Congress.

Referring to the assets declared by Mr. Chandrababu Naidu and the Home Minister, T. Devender Goud, at the time of filing nominations, he alleged that the two leaders have only declared "what can be called the tip of the iceberg. The truth will come out only when their entire properties and assets are jointly investigated into by the CBI, the CBDT, Revenue Intelligence and SEBI." He urged the Central Government to immediately order an investigation into the wealth of the Chief Minister and Home Minister.

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