Even as leaving the door ajar for an alliance with TRS, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president Ponnala Lakshmaiah has taken a strident stand against the anti-Dalit stand of TRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao.
None deserved greater credit for Telangana than AICC Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, he said, adding that she had taken a decision against all odds to keep her word and delivered Telangana. Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao on the other hand went back on his promise to make a Dalit Telangana Chief Minister and give party tickets to the JAC leaders, pointed out Mr. Ponnala here on Thursday.
With time running out as the nominations phase has begun in Telangana, the CPI which is close to forming an alliance with Congress, it is learnt, has taken an initiative in bringing some rapprochement between TRS and Congress to stitch up an alliance in the interest of both the parties. The TRS reportedly is willing to climb down from its earlier condition of Chief Minister’s post provided it got majority Assembly seats to contest.
The State Congress leaders are inclined to allot seats to TRS based on seat-sharing formula it had with Congress in 2004 and with TDP in 2009, between 42 and 45. “In 2004, the tie-up was forged on the promise of Telangana. Now that the Congress delivered on its promise, TRS should not be adamant as Congress will have to accommodate CPI and MIM,” argue Congress sources.
Senior Congress leader K. Jana Reddy, however, felt that the TRS and Congress had gone too far away from each other to forge an alliance at this stage.
Will the Congress party’s failure to forge alliance with the TRS cast a shadow on its prospects?
Dismissing the perception, Mr. Lakshmaiah pointed out that a number of senior TRS leaders like Ibrahim, Vijayarama Rao came out and more recently G. Vivek and G.Vinod too came back to Congress fold and several leaders may follow suit.
Taking a dig at the TRS president’s talk of Telangana development after remaining indifferent for 30 years, Mr. Lakshmaiah said Mr. Rao copied ‘Bangaru Telangana’ slogan coined by him.
Exuding confidence, Mr. Ponnala said Congress party would form the government with a clear majority. “We are firmly going ahead on the plank of stability, good governance and social equity,” he said.
