Telangana Rashtra Samithi, which has been getting some negative reports over its prospects in the Friday’s assembly elections in the state, is said to be banking heavily on exploiting Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s campaign in Telangana, rather than propagating its own manifesto.
The party leaders are hopeful that Naidu’s campaign would turn advantageous to the TRS in the elections, as they want to create an impression among the people that it is Naidu who is the actual force behind the Congress party and the Maha Kootami and he wants to gain control over the Telangana by proxy.
That is precisely why every leader – from TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao to his party candidates in the elections – are talking about the dangers of Naidu allying with the Congress party.
“Naidu was the stumbling block in the formation of Telangana and he tried to stop separate statehood till last minute. In fact, Telangana would have achieved statehood almost 18 years ago, had Naidu not come in its way,” TRS senior leader and irrigation minister T Harish Rao said on Monday.
He said the BJP in its Kakinada meeting had resolved one vote two states during 1999 elections, but the TDP president had asked its ally BJP not to give Telangana when BJP came to power at Center in the past.
He quoted BJP senior leaders L K Advani and Yaswanth Sinha who had openly stated that they were not giving Telangana as its ally TDP had opposed it.
Harish explained in detail how Mr. Naidu is averse in forming Telangana from the beginning and said he has banned the word "Telangana" from his dictionary.
Harish asked all the Telanganites who have participated in 'sakala janula samme' including employees, students, intellectuals, human right activists to protect Telangana from the Congress as well as TDP.
He reminded them, how Congress party for the sake of power had not agreed for bifurcation of the state from 1956.
He said the grand alliance comprised only Congress and TDP, but not TJS and CPI as the latter were completely sidelined.
"The condition of Kodandaram is like fish out of water," he commented.