Hyderabad, January 11: The Telangana Congress leaders, notwithstanding their rhetoric, appear to be caught between the devil and the deep sea. Under intense pressure to resign, party MLAs and MPs from the region, are set to attend a meeting, convened by Rajya Sabha member K Keshava Rao, on Tuesday to discuss their future course of action.
Upping the ante would not only mean incurring the wrath of the party high command but also entering uncharted waters. Should they decide to be “martyrs” in the cause of Telangana, there is no guarantee that Telangana Rashtra Samithi chief K Chandrasekhar Rao would not field his own “martyrs” in elections whenever they come. Should they stay put, the tag of “betrayers” won’t be easy to shake off either.
Under the circumstances, the party’s Telangana MPs and MLAs appear to be veering round to the view that discretion is the better part of valour. Even Keshava Rao, who has been spearheading the Congress Telangana camp of late, significantly said Monday that Telangana leaders would resign bravely IF they were sure that martyrdom would lead to success. “Resignation is only a tool,” he claimed.
Union Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy, deputed to “counsel” the harried T leaders, on Monday used his persuasive skills to bring some relief to them. Among those who met him were ministers, DK Aruna, D Sridhar Babu, K Venkata Reddy, Basavaraju Saraiah and P Sudahrashan Reddy. Jaipal Reddy reportedly advised them to be patient as the high command was in the process of finding a way out of the imbroglio. According to him, the high command was contemplating moves to persuade Andhra and Rayalaseema leaders to agree to the bifurcation of the State. Making light of the TRS threats to intensify its stir, he reportedly remarked that Chandrasekhar Rao was riding a tiger. It remains to be seen how many would attend Keshava Rao’s meeting and what, if any, roadmap they come up with.
–Agencies