HYDERABAD: Hardening of its stand by the Congress on Telangana has come as a bitter disappointment to some sections of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS). According to insiders in the TRS, the party’s leadership was expecting the Congress to announce a decision in favour of statehood and endorse a proposal of some Congress leaders to have a truck with the separatist party.
But the categorical statement of Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy that a decision on Telangana would come when it had to come threw a douche of cold water on the TRS leaders who were trying to hurry the Congress to take a decision on the issue and thus help them to ally with the separatist party.
According to sources, the overtures of the TRS that it would be part of the TDP-led Grand Alliance was only intended to bring pressure on the Congress to take a decision on the T issue.
But the chief minister, a shrewd politician himself, saw through the TRS’ game plan and did not dance to Chandrasekhara Rao’s tunes. On the other hand, Rajasekhara Reddy appeared hell-bent on taking a sweet revenge on the TRS leadership for trying to influence the Telanagana elements in the Congress by making it amply clear that the Congress would fight the elections without the support of any party.
Hoping that the Congress might take a decision on Telangana before long, the TRS leaders deferred their announcement of joining the Grand Alliance though Rao was seen too often in the company of the alliance leaders.
Rao had gone on record saying that he would announce his decision of joining the Grand Alliance tomorrow, a deadline which was intended more for the Congress to come up with a decision on Telangana than informing the people of his future plans in fighting the elections.
For the last one week, the TRS chief had been telling his confidants that the Congress was bound to take a decision on the T issue and that there were possibilities that the party would open its doors to the TRS to strike an alliance. With yesterday’s developments in the Congress high command in Delhi, the TRS camp has understood clearly that the Congress, more so Rajasekhara Reddy, had seen through the strategy of Chandrasekhara Rao and now it was all curtains for them as far as cozying up to the Congress was concerned.
Now the only option before the TRS is to ally with the Grand Alliance, fight the elections and see if Rajasekhara Reddy’s development mantra or the separate Telagnana slogan would work at the hustings.