HYDERABAD: Telugu Desam and Bharatiya Janata Party have slammed the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leadership for failing to get an appointment from Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and demanded the resignation of Union Ministers K. Chandrasekhar Rao and A. Narendra "to protect the self-respect" of Telangana people.

APCC president K. Keshava Rao, however, has said that "as far as he knew" the TRS leaders had not sought an appointment with Ms. Gandhi.

Speaking to reporters after his return from New Delhi on Thursday, he pointed out that a UPA sub-committee was already looking into the demand for Telangana. He criticised TRS leaders of making a mockery by frequently setting deadlines on the formation of Telangana State. He made light of the talk of merging the TRS with the Congress. "Where is the need for a merger when TRS cadres are joining the Congress?" he asked sarcastically.

On the Congress-TRS tie-up for panchayat polls, he said the decision was left to the party cadres and leaders.

At a press conference here on Thursday, TDP leaders E. Dayakar Rao and Narender Reddy charged TRS leaders with "mortgaging" the self-respect of Telugus by waiting endlessly for an audience with the Congress president and recalled his past statement that he would "drag Ms. Gandhi to the streets".

It was time the TRS leadership indulged in introspection and restored its credibility.

At another press conference, BJP's national secretary B. Dattatreya said that both Union Ministers were being treated worse than "attenders".

Not granting an appointment to Telangana protagonists by Ms. Gandhi even as she met votaries of an integrated State was tantamount to insulting the people of Telangana.

It was clear that Chief Minister Y. S.Rajasekhara Reddy had more influence in "Delhi durbar" as no interview was given to the TRS leaders by the Congress president eventhough Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had given an assurance to that effect.

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