The creation of a new State in the Deccan has brought with it major political churning. While former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Reddy is all set to launch a new party by the end of this week, TRS will merge with the Congress shortly.
Sources said that Reddy, who quit protesting his party’s move to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh, will name his new party Deccan Congress, thus retaining the parent name (Congress) which he served for about two decades. In the midst of talks of the possibility of TRS’ merger with the Congress, TRS chief Chandrasekhar Rao met Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Sunday. Though he denied that any alliance or merger was discussed, sources said that the matter did come up.
A delegation of Congress leaders from Telangana had called on the Congress chief on Saturday after which Union Minister Sarve Satyanarayana went on record saying that the Congress was expecting a merger with TRS soon. KCR’s comments that the AICC general secretary in-charge of Andhra Pradesh, Digvijay Singh, is in touch with him has triggered speculation of a speedy merger.
“We are expecting the TRS to join us. Rao has been saying that he would work with Sonia Gandhi if Telangana was created. Now that the Bill has been passed, there is no reason for him to continue as a separate entity,” Satyarnarayana told The Pioneer when asked about the possibility of an TRS-Congress alliance or merger for the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections for Telangana and Seemandhra simultaneously.
KC Rao was earlier in TDP and served as Deputy Speaker of Andhra Pradesh Assembly till 2001. He quit the TDP and launched TRS to fight for a separate Telangana State. TRS joined hands with the Congress for the 2004 elections. Rao was appointed the Union Labour Minister in UPA-I and simultaneously became part of the Congress Government led by late Dr YSR Reddy.
“However, being part of the Congress-ruled Government at the Centre and State hit Rao’s prospect as the purpose (for demand of Telangana) was not being served by UPA-I (2004-09) which had Telangana in its Common Minimum Programme. He then forged an alliance with the TDP in the 2009 elections but suffered a serious setback and could win only two Lok Sabha seats and ten Assembly seats,” said a Congress leader.
The Congress and TRS through either a merger or alliance hope to win about 15-16 Lok Sabha seats of the total of 17 LS seats in Telangana and form a Government in the Assembly by winning majority of the 119 seats. Seemandhra will have 25 Lok Sabha seats and 175 Assembly seats. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan has asked Kiran Kumar Reddy and his Council of Ministers to continue in their posts till alternative arrangements are made. While the Congress leadership and the Centre are yet to take a political decision for the bifurcated States, Kiran Reddy has not wasted any time in cobbling together a new outfit.
Expelled Seemandhra Congress MPs and other party leaders on Sunday urged Kiran Reddy to launch the new political party at the earliest. Reddy has called a meeting on Monday of the MLAs who are on his side to discuss the name and composition of the party. So far party MPs Harsha Kumar, Sabbam Hari have extended their support to the former CM.
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