TRS can't dictate terms to us, says MSR

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, JULY 23. The APCC president, Mr. M. Satyanarayana Rao, has attributed his party's fiasco in the elections to the Warangal Zilla Parishad elections to the conditions laid down by the TRS chief, Mr. K. Chandrasekhar Rao, for extending support to the Congress.

Being a national party which had to seek the green signal from its high command on any major policy issue, the Congress could not accept his condition of passing a resolution at the first meeting of the ZPs favouring separate Statehood for Telangana. This caused unnecessary rift and confusion leading to the debacle in Warangal, he said.

He, however, admitted that it was the `defection' of three of his party's ZPTC members to the TDP which was the direct cause of the latter's victory. The Congress would seek disqualification of the trio for violating the whip issued by the party to abstain from the meeting.

Talking to The Hindu, the PCC chief said the final election results in the Mandal and Zilla Parishads had belied the tall claims of TDP president, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, that his party would sweep the elections. In fact, the results were a moral victory for the Congress even though the numbers were not on its side. A detailed analysis would show that the TDP had not performed well anywhere except in Srikakulam district.

The Pradesh Congress chief reacted sharply to Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao's statement that he had not insisted upon passing the resolution, and said that he should have clarified his stand to the PCC earlier.

A lesson to TDP, says YSR

Our Cuddapah Staff Reporter writes:

The Congress Legislature Party leader, Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, asserted on Monday that the people taught Telugu Desam Party a befitting lesson for pursuing ``anti-people'' policies.

Speaking to newsmen, he alleged that the TDP could get some ZPTC and MPTC seats in some places due to gross misuse of power and with the help of money.

Assuring that the Congress would provide free supply for agriculturists, if it regained power in the State, he flayed TDP leaders for shying away from a public debate on their claims that granting free power supply was impossible.

The new ZP chairman, Mr. K. Suresh Babu, and the vice-chairman, Mr. P. Ravindranath Reddy, listed their priorities.

Cong. betrays Telangana again: TRS chief

The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) president, Mr. K. Chandrasekhar Rao, here on Monday lashed out at the Congress for ``backstabbing''Telangana people ``once again and in a manner only a person shorn of all shame could do.''

In ``handing over the Warangal Zilla Parishad on a platter to the TDP and in preventing the TRS from bagging the Karimnagar ZP chairperson post,'' he said, Congress members betrayed the region and there could not have been any justification for doing so.

``The Warangal ZP could have been taken by them with our support and we would have easily bagged the Karimangar ZP. In Ranga Reddy too the Congress played truant and prevented the election itself. Is not there a clear mandate against the TDP-BJP combine in Telangana except in Adilabad? How could one act against the wishes of people?'' he asked.

Addressing a press conference, the TRS chief said the Congress had approached the voters of Telangana with a ``Telangana map and separate Telangana slogans'' and even printed a photo of Congress leaders submitting a memorandum to Ms. Sonia Gandhi on the issue.

He said that there were no pre-conditions for supporting the Congress in the elections. ``We only said that there should be a resolution supporting separate Telangana later. Wherever we have a majority, it would be possible and where it is not so, it may not be. We were very clear in this matter. We are bound to support the Congress as it is the main opponent of the TDP. Yet, they refuse to cooperate with us,'' he said.

``Their true colours are out now. They have buried the aspirations of Telangana people earlier. Their treason came to the fore during the Telangana agitation once again. And now this is the third betrayal. One can not even call them villains. They are much worse. They can barter away the interests of Telangana for material gain any number of times. Anyhow, now people know for sure who stands for what,'' he said.

He said Congress members colluded with ruling party members in physically preventing some members from entering the ZP hall in Karimnagar, he termed it the most shameful act. ``There were 27 members in the hall. The presence of just one more person would have enabled officials to hold elections. The Congress conspired against it.''

Equally despicable was the TDP stand, he said ``as it had buried all canons of democracy fathoms deep in engineering its candidates' victories despite the people's verdict being against them in some districts. Political opportunism and scant regard for democratic norms have come to the open,'' he said.

Mr. Rao pointed out that the Chief Minister, Mr.N. Chandrababu Naidu, and the Home Minister, Mr.T. Devender Goud, had repeatedly claimed that their party would not resort to horse-trading, yet it did so. ``Money, gifts and liquor flowed freely in the elections. In Medak alone Rs. 9.5 crores was spent and in entire Telangana, Rs. 50 crores by the ruling party.''

``And they call this democracy! We urge the State Election Commission to take action against the officials responsible for prevention of candidates from entering the election hall. Because, the Karimnagar police played a key role in doing so along with Congress and TDP leaders,'' he said.

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