SOMEONE LISTENING?: TRS president K. Chandrasekhara Rao along with partymen raising slogans in favour of a separate Telangana State at a meeting of party workers in Hyderabad on Thursday. — Photo: Mohd. Yousuf

HYDERABAD: Union Labour Minister and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president K. Chandrasekhar Rao announced on Thursday a series of programmes which, he said, were aimed at paving way for the party to quit the UPA Government.

"We need to get cracking in the next couple of months, creating ground to come out of UPA," he told a meeting of TRS workers from four Telangana districts here.

On top of the list of programmes announced by him was a public meeting demanding reduction in the height of Polavaram project. It will be held at Polavaram on February 7 or 8. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha president Shibu Soren had agreed to address the meeting.

Mr. Rao said a meeting with a lakh `sainiks' of the Telangana Jagarana Sena (TJS) was also slated in the city next month. A padayatra would be conducted against the move of the Government to step up discharge of water to Rayalaseema from Pothireddypadu head regulator. Simultaneously, a meeting of the non-Left and non-Congress parties of the UPA would be held to invite their suggestions on the party's decision to quit the Government. A membership drive would be launched and it will culminate with the fifth anniversary celebrations of the party in April last week.

The TRS chief described the programmes as a last ditch effort to mount pressure on the UPA Government to concede Statehood for Telangana. It will be struggles all the way for the party after quitting the UPA.

Mr. Rao launched a scathing attack on Congress Government in the State for conniving with dissident MLAs of the TRS in attempts to marginalise the party. He criticised the TDP for its decision to take up a padayatra demanding irrigation projects in Telangana. The Left parties also came in for stick from him for blindly opposing separate Telangana.

Union Minister of State for Rural Development A. Narendra said the party was on the verge of leaving the UPA.

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