Date:13/12/2003 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2003/12/13/stories/2003121304090600.htm

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

CFT leaders boycott `bus yatra'

By Our Staff Reporter

WARANGAL DEC. 12. The "bus yatra" being organised by the Congress leaders suffered a setback with members of the Congress Forum for Telangana (CFT) deciding to boycott the rest of the tour.

The decision had been taken after suspension of the CFT secretary, R. Ranga Reddy, who had asked the party leaders to come clear on the Telangana issue. The CFT leaders — G. Chinna Reddy, N. Indrakaran Reddy, K. Keshava Rao and P. L. Narasa Reddy — were closeted with the AICC general secretary in charge of party affairs in Andhra Pradesh, Ghulam Nabi Azad, at the Bala Vikasa today. Having failed to convince Mr. Azad in revoking the suspension, the leaders decided to stay away from the yatra.

Later, at a press conference here, Mr. Keshava Rao and Mr. Chinna Reddy said the high command had promised to constitute a committee to look into the Telangana issue. However, some of the leaders within the party were misleading Mr. Azad. They said Mr. Ranga Reddy had not done anything warranting suspension. Some of the leaders were misguiding him, pressing for action against anyone who talked about Telangana. This was unfortunate, they said. Mr. Chinna Reddy said leaders of other regions had complained that CFT leaders were `colluding' with the TRS and organising protests against the Congress during the tour. "We have been telling them that there is a strong Telangana wave and we have to join hands with the TRS and all other parties to unseat the Telugu Desam Party. Nobody can deny this,'' he said.

He said it was not proper to ignore the TRS as it commanded public patronage. Any division of votes would only benefit the TDP. Asked whether they would come out of the party if the Congress failed to take a clear stand on the Telangana issue, he said: "We are ready to sacrifice our political career. We espouse the Telangana cause and there is strong sentiment among the people of the region." The CFT leaders advised Mr. Azad to see things in the right perspective rather than go by what other leaders were saying.