ARRANGEMENTS APACE: Workers arranging a hoarding for the "Telangana Aatmagourava Sabha" of the TRS to be held at NG College grounds on Wednesday. — PHOTO: NAGARA GOPAL

NALGONDA: Buoyed by the election victory of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi founder K. Chandrasekhar Rao from Karimnagar, the party is all set to organise a massive public meeting -- "Telanangana Aatmagourava (self-respect) Sabha" -- at the NG College grounds here on Friday.

Setting the tone for the meeting, the party district unit president and Aler MLA K. Nagesh told The Hindu on Wednesday that the "dichotomy of the Congress leaders would be thoroughly exposed" in the meeting. He was very critical about the ruling party MLAs' silence over the issue of a separate State and alleged diversion of Krishna waters.

On choosing Nalgonda as the venue for the meeting, Mr. Nagesh said "Bhongir provided the platform for the alliance between the Congress and TRS during the last Assembly elections." He referred to the party's protests during the road shows organised by the Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, D. Srinivas and others at that time. "Sensing the strong Telangana sentiment among people, Mr. Azad and other leaders took the initiative to forge an alliance with the TRS but now we feel betrayed by the Congress. Hence, we have chosen Nalgonda to expose the insincerity of the Congress," he maintained.

TRS MP and former Minister D. Ravindra Naik criticised Congress MLA Vuppunutala Purushottam Reddy, who had once raised a banner of revolt within the party with a separate State demand, for mooting the second States Reorganization Commission. "Don't push forward the second SRC issue to appease the high command," he said.

MRPS campaign

Meanwhile, Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi (MRPS) leader Manda Krishna Madiga has been camping in the district for the last four days to mobilise people for the public meeting being organised by the MRPS on the same day at a different venue in the town.

Taking exception to some indecent remarks allegedly made by Mr. Rao during the by-election, he called upon Madigas to be united and teach a lesson to the TRS leader.

While Mr. Krishna demands an apology, his detractors in his own community have launched a counter campaign dubbing him as "the betrayer of Telangana cause."

Mr. Nagesh asked Mr. Krishna to work with the party to fulfil the dream of the separate State. "Our leader expressed regrets over some remarks made by him at Karimnagar. If he doesn't take it in right spirits, we are helpless," he maintained.

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