The Telangana Rashtra Samithi met with stiff resistance when the matter of extension of support to parties in the coming elections was discussed at a meeting of the steering committee of Telangana Joint Action Committee.
Sources said a couple of leaders of JAC favoured supporting the TRS as it was in the forefront of the struggle for separate Telangana but sparks flew immediately from the opponents. They protested that the TRS was no longer fighting on the statehood issue as it has become a full-fledged political party. The TRS gave tickets to anti-social elements, financially strong persons and leaders who suppressed pro-Telangana supporters. It happened not only in the case of Konda Surekha and P. Mahender Reddy earlier but more recently with Bajireddy Goverdhan and Jalagam Venkata Rao, they reasoned.
The party overlooked the cadre who waged relentless struggle for statehood. “Why should the JAC support such a party,” they asked.
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The leaders also took exception to the TRS maintaining silence when the issue of submergence of villages in Polavaram project came up for debate in Parliament. The party adopted double standards by insisting, prior to bifurcation, on pre-1956 status of Telangana that excluded Khammam where the villages were located but demanding villages now.
Sources added that some of the leaders sympathised with the Congress for conceding Telangana State at the expense of losing Seemandhra. It was decided not to support Telugu Desam and YSR Congress as they were opposed to Telangana and confine discussions to positions on TRS, Congress and BJP. The debate will continue on April 18 though it was likely that the organisation might decide to remain neutral in view of the some or other positive role by all three parties.
The JAC also revamped its organisational structure by inducting C. Vittal as co-chairman and TNGOs union president G. Deviprasad Rao as convenor. M. Kodandaram and Mallepalli Laxmaiah will remain chairman and co-chairman respectively.
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