Close on the heels of a TDP MLA announcing his decision to join TRS, the TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday said many others from TDP and Congress would join his party soon.
"I have been telling that and it is proved many times and within the near future you will see many leaders joining TRS," he told reporters here.
TDP MLA G Kamalakar from Karimnagar district had recently met the TRS president and declared his intention to join the Telangana party.
Significantly, the TRS president had recently extended an invitation to Congress leaders from Telangana region to join his party.
He had also met senior Congress leader K Keshav Rao and party MP M Jagannath, giving credence to speculation that some Congress MPs from Telangana are likely to join TRS.
Some of the Telangana Congress MPs, who have been vocal in raising the separate statehood demand, had said they would like to pursue the issue during the parliament session resuming tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the TRS president demanded that a steel plant be set up in Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh.
The demand came in the wake of Andhra Pradesh government allotting iron ore mines in Khammam and Warangal districts (in Telangana region) to the Vizag Steel Plant, a Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL) enterprise.
The mineral wealth in Telangana should be utilised in the region itself by setting up a steel plant, instead of giving it to Vizag Steel Plant, which is situated in coastal Andhra, the TRS president said.
When it was pointed out that the state government has already clarified that it is for setting up a steel plant in Khammam district, he said the Chief Minister should make it amply clear.
TRS would also represent to the Prime Minister in support of its demand, he said.
Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has dismissed in Visakhapatnam yesterday the TRS allegation that mineral wealth in Telangana is being given away to other regions.
"RINL is a national project. The steel plant belongs to the whole nation. It is a national property and does not belong to any region or any state. The Andhra Pradesh government or coastal Andhra region do not hold shares in the plant," he said.
Earlier this month, the Andhra Pradesh government had decided to allot 5,324 hectares of iron ore mines to Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.