Congress senior leader K Kesava Rao who declared that he would join the TRS along with MPs G Vivek and Manda Jagannatham, said they knew that the car they were about to board has its own defects.
Speaking to the media along with the two MPs in a meet the press programme on Saturday, he said the question before them was either to remain in the party that would never achieve Telangana or a party that was committed to achieving it, though it has some drawbacks. He said they had decided to board the car, correct any defects and move towards achieving Telangana.
KK said the TRS chief K Chandrasekhara Rao had gathered all the possible forces in the direction of achieving Telangana and was even willing to merge his party in the Congress, to achieve Telangana. He said on watching his commitment, they had decided to join the party.
Stating that they had also held discussions with the BJP which was also committed to the Telangana cause, he said they however chose TRS because of the secular constraints. He branded the late Chief Minister Dr. Y S Rajasekhara Reddy as anti-Telangana and said Congress would never concede telangana.
KK claimed that while remaining in the Congress, he had tried to bring all the public representatives together and prepared them to quit the party. Still, one group has been close to the seat of power and trouble arose because of this group. He expressed anguish that he was termed a buffoon, simply because he talked about Telangana. He has reminded that the Congress Working Committee had taken a decision in favour of smaller states. He said there were occasions when they touched the feet of leaders for Telangana and there were others who were ready to even end their lives.
Keshav Rao expressed anguish that the Telangana issue was being viewed lightly. Stating that mere speeches or ballads on Telangana would not be sufficient, he said the strength of the Telangana sentiment should be shown in elections. Claiming that they had indulged in all possible movements and enhanced the fighting spirit of the people, KK criticized the Congress leadership that it had backed out after convincing the people on its commitment on Telangana. He expressed confidence that the desire of the people of Telangana would be expressed in the elections. He said people should vote for TRS as it is a party born for achieving Telangana. He denied that they had defected for positions or personal careers. KK expressed confidence that Telangana would be possible only through the TRS. He reminded that Telangana was a very old demand.
Manda Jagannatham also lamented that the Congress leadership was showing negligence towards Telangana. He faulted the party for ignoring them while it called and talked to the Seemandhra MP Kavuri Sambasiva Rao when he threatened to leave the party. He said they were only asking the Congress leadership to fulfill its promises and not positions for themselves. Alleging that the party had insulted the Dalit Deputy Chief Minister Damodara Raja Narasimha, he questioned if this was the party’s commitment to the Dalits.
He said while it was expected of the party leadership to call those trying to leave the party and talk, the Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy was strangely stating that if the old water left the river, new inflow would come. He said the Chief Minister was talking as he liked as he himself did not know how long he would be in that position.
Questioning if the Chief Minister could state how many seats the party would be able to win in the next elections, Manda branded Kiran as a regionalist. He said he had no commitment for Telangana and added that they were only asking the party to fulfill its promise.
Vivek said they made it clear to the Congress leadership that they would remain in the party only if it conceded Telangana. Stating that nothing was more important to them than achieving Telangana, he said there would be no going back for them. He has alleged that the resources of Telangana were being plundered.(NSS)