Eetela Asks For Cong Support

Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) Floor leader Etela Rajender, on Friday, sought to entice Congress leaders from Telangana to join the Telangana Political Joint Action Committee (TPJAC), by telling them that the Centre is intent on delaying taking a decision on the separate statehood demand.

Talking to mediapersons at the Assembly media-point, Eetela said that the statement made by Congress Core Committee member Pranab Mukherjee, at a meeting between him and the Telangana MPs late on Thursday night, was nothing but another bid to buy time.

Mukherjee has reportedly told the Telangana MPs that the 6-decade-old Telangana statehood issue was so tangled that former prime ministers Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and P V Narasimha Rao had failed to address it.

The Finance Minister is also reported to have told the Telangana MPs that considering the Telangana issue's sensitivity, every step will have to be given very careful consideration.

Responding to these reports, Eetela condemned Mukherjee's statements, and said that they are 'unwarranted and uncalled for'.

The TRS floor leader in the state Assembly said that Mukherjee, despite his decades of experience in the political field, was making such 'unfortunate' statements instead of addressing the problem.

He called upon all Telangana-elected representatives to join the TPJAC, to mount pressure on the Centre with their collective efforts towards forming a separate Telangana state.

"All elected representatives from the Telangana region should take the statement issued by Eluru MP Kavuri Sambhasiva Rao as a challenge, and resign from their posts. This alone can be a start to the ultimate goal of fulfilling the aspirations of people," he stated.

He also accused TDP President N Chandrababu Naidu of adopting double standards on the Telangana issue.

"Naidu should be careful and see that he does not end up losing both his eyes, (Seemandhra and Telangana) considering his penchant for double standards on the Telangana statehood issue," the TRS leader stated.

Reacting to the speculation that TRS MPs K Chandrasekhar Rao and Vijayashanthi might resign from the Lok Sabha, Rajender stated that this is not official as yet.

"If they have taken the decision, I am not aware of it," he said.

He added that, if the leaders resort to resigning, it would be understandable as the Centre has failed to do justice to people's aspirations and their demand for a separate Telangana state.

Courtesy: INN