STRATEGY SESSION: APCC president K. Keshava Rao discussing a point with L. Feroz Begum, former Kurnool Mayor, at Gandhi Bhavan in Hyderabad on Monday.

HYDERABAD: APCC president K. Keshava Rao has called upon the protagonists of Telangana to join hands with the Congress in the civic elections "in the best interest of Telangana."

In an indirect appeal to the TRS cadres, Dr. Rao on Monday said: "Forces inimical to Telangana are playing a nasty game. Even if the TRS leadership falls into its hands, I appeal to others in the party to forge the alliance with us and face the elections united as the Congress is committed to the Telangana cause."

Dangerous trend

He said that the Congress leadership is concerned over reports of an RSS leader heading the Telangana Jagaran Sena (TJS), an outfit of the TRS. His party would have no alliance with forces other than secular-democratic.

Describing as unfortunate the change in the language of TRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao, he said that earlier only A. Narendra was in the habit of using harsh words.

Dr. Rao said the local leaders of the TRS, including MLAs, were "talking to the Congress". Therefore, he had advised his partymen not to foreclose options. "Telangana cause needs our bond even minus Mr. Chandrasekhara Rao who has seemingly chosen to join hands with the reactionary forces", he said.

He said seat adjustment arrangements with the Left parties for the municipal elections were almost completed. He talked to the CPI and CPM leaders on Monday both at the State level and at the district level to sort out contentious seats.

The PCC chief, who held discussions with party leaders earlier, said the Kurnool imbroglio was almost settled and problems relating to Khammam and Nalgonda municipalities would be sorted out soon.

He also discussed with Congress MLAs from Nellore — A. Ramanarayan Reddy and A. Vivekananda Reddy — and Union Minister of State for Health Panabaka Lakshmi, their differences with the Nedurumilli Janardhan Reddy group.

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