The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Congress-TRS alliance unholy, says Naidu

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 24, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Congress-TRS alliance unholy, says Naidu

By Our Staff Reporter

VIJAYAWADA, APRIL 23. Terming the alliance between the Congress and the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) the `unholiest one', the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president, N. Chandrababa Naidu, foresees a possibility of the TRS president, K. Chandrasekhar Rao, `blackmailing' the Congress with his 20-odd legislators.

Mr. Naidu, who stayed here overnight, said at a press conference on Friday that the TRS would try to influence the Congress on various issues, particularly irrigation projects and water for the Krishna delta. Coming down heavily on Mr. Rao, the Chief Minister recalled the statements the TRS president had made about `others robbing the Telangana people' and how he was allegedly provoking hatred among people of different regions in the State, more for votes than for development the Telangana region. Mr.Naidu recalled various statements made by the TRS president against people in Krishna district and the coastal regions. "Why didn't the Congress question these statements ?'' Mr.Naidu asked. The Congress, which should have condemned such statements, had gone into a seat-sharing agreement with the TRS and that too in such a `shameful and weak manner'. A small political party was holding a national party like the Congress to ransom, he said. The Congress was not concerned about it because it was now ready to do anything to cripple the TDP, Mr. Naidu said.

He asked the Congress to make public the `secret package' deal it had entered into with the TRS. He wondered whether Congress leaders in the State were `spineless' as the party high command in Delhi had to `make the deal' without the State leaders' involvement. "What is this secret deal ? Is it good for the State, or, is it going to ruin it ? The people should be told so that they can decide whether they want it, or not,'' Mr. Naidu said.

Mr. Naidu charged the Congress MLAs of Krishna delta with `behaving irresponsibly' when there was a discussion in the State Assembly on the release of water from the Nagarjuna Sagar reservoir for the kharif crop. Many did not even bother to attend the session, he said. The TRS opposed the Polavaram project and was provoking the Telangana people for purely political reasons. This was a very dangerous trend because irrigation was a sensitive issue. Neither the Congress nor the TRS had a policy and they were only interested in `provoking hatred' in the people for vote.

Mr.Naidu said naxalites had began killing people again with renewed vigour after the TRS president said that he was ready for talks with them.

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