The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : TRS advised not to join Government

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Apr 29, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

TRS advised not to join Government

By Gollapudi Srinivasa Rao

WARANGAL, APRIL 28. Going by the exit polls over the certainty of the Congress alliance coming back to power in the State, there is an upbeat mood in the Congress and the TRS circles in the district.

The TRS president, K. Chandrasekhar Rao, who was on a short visit to the district two days ago, tried to elicit the views of academics and intellectuals, including the academic, Kothapalli Jayashankar, whether to join the Government or to support the Congress from outside in the event of the alliance get majority to form the Government. Intellectuals and academics, who form backbone of the separate Telangana movement, apparently advised Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao not to join the Government and rather support it from outside.

"If TRS joins the Government, the movement will be weakened. It will only provide political employment to a few, but the problem will not be solved,'' a senior professor of Kakatiya University has opined.

There is a talk within the TRS circles that the Congress might come back to power without support from its allies and TRS leaders are working out strategy to be adopted in such case.

However, academics of Kakatiya University, lawyers, doctors and retired officials are silent on the issue and told The Hindu that they will come out openly only after counting is over.

However, they have unanimously opined that the TRS should not join the Government as it will not serve the purpose of separate statehood for Telangana.

A majority of academics and intellectuals have pointed out that events in 1971 should not be repeated. "The sentiment of Telangana worked out well during the period. But, they all joined the Congress deceiving people of the region,'' a retired official says. Going by the remarks being made by Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao that he will not accept any position once the Telangana state is carved out, he is reportedly eyeing a bigger position before the region gets separate statehood. "He, perhaps bargain for deputy chief minister,'' a confidant of Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao says.

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