Telangana Rashtra Samiti candidates — Pidamarthi Ravi and Kasoju Shankaramma — tried to put up a brave front by contesting Telugu Desam leader Errabelli Dayakar Rao’s claims that they were made “sacrificial goats” by TRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao by forcing them to enter the contest from Sattupalli and Huzurnagar Assembly constituencies much against their wish.
They said they would abide by the decision of K Chandrasekhar Rao and enter the electoral fray from the segments. Addressing a joint press conference after Dayakar Rao made the comments, Mr. Ravi and Ms. Shankaramma asked the TDP not to field candidates against them if the party had any respect for Telangana martyrs.
The duo said they had joined the TRS to take part in the reconstruction of new Telangana State and not to become legislators. Mr. Ravi went on to thank the TRS chief for allotting him the Sattupalli ticket and said he would prove that Telangana sentiment was strong in the constituency.
No political baseNalgonda Staff Reporter writes: Ms. Shankaramma, mother of Srikanth Chary, who burnt himself to death when Mr. Rao undertook the indefinite hunger strike in November-end 2009, is reportedly unhappy with the party leadership choice of the segment for her. “The TRS leadership has asked me to contest against TPCC working president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy from Huzurnagar but I am not willing to contest from there,” she said.
Moreover, she said, the TRS has no base in Huzurnagar. “Why is that no State or district-level leader is seeking the seat?” she questioned and maintained that the TRS leadership is trying to make her a scapegoat by offering her the seat where the chances winning are remote. It may be recalled Mr. Uttam Kumar won with the highest margin among all the 12 MLAs in the district in the last elections.
