Hyderabad, April 30: The TRS chief, Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao, who was elected as the party president for the sixth successive term on Friday, categorically declared that his party will never merge with the Congress.
Addressing a well attended TRS delegates meeting in Mahbubnagar for the party’s 10th formation day, Mr Rao wondered, “How can anyone expect the TRS to join the Congress whose state president, Mr D. Srinivas, lost the deposit in the bypolls held recently?”
He said if the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre is not going to concede to the genuine demand of the people for formation of Telangnaa, the people will themselves merge the Congress in the Bay of Bengal.
Referring to some media reports that the TRS will be merged with the Congress after the Centre announces Telangana state, Mr Rao said, “We will not merge with the Congress before or after formation of Telangana. Nowadays the Congress is suffering due to “mergers” mania. We will never do that. It is our responsibility to simultaneously develop the TRS both electorally and organisationally even after a separate state is formed.”
He said the responsibility lies with the TRS to rebuild Telangana and make it a “golden state”. “In such a case how can anyone think about a merger with the Congress?” he said.
Citing a survey conducted by one media group, Mr Rao said if elections are held in Telangana, the TRS will sweep the polls and bag a minimum of 80 seats.
However he did not unveil the future course of Telangana agitation as reported in the media, but announced that a high-level meeting would be convened after May 5 to check out the next course of agitation programme in the region.
–Agencies