Date:19/04/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/04/19/stories/2008041954860600.htm

Andhra Pradesh

TRS confident of good show

Staff Reporter

WARANGAL: The TRS has dared Congress MLAs and Ministers who wish to contest the byelection to give up their posts and fight.

Exuding confidence that the party would sweep elections, party general secretaries K. Rama Rao, M. Sahodar Reddy and others said people of Telangana are not ready to believe in either Congress party’s development slogan or TDP’s committee on Telangana issue.

Mr Rao termed the constitution of committee to study the issue by the TDP as drama which he said is aimed at hoodwinking people. The committee neither has any agenda or time frame but is intended to help the party in delaying its decision on the issue, he alleged.

TRS completed seven years of its existence surviving many machinations and conspiracies by different parties and leaders. It will strive to take the issue to its logical end, he said. .

“No Congress leader or TDP MLA has the guts to resign from their membership to Assembly. The TRS leaders are not after positions but are committed to separate Telangana. The MLAs and MPs tendered their resignations only to prove that people are still aspiring for separate statehood and thus pressurise other political parties to favour the issue,” Mr Rao said.

The party appealed to people to remain united and ensure victory of the party in the byelection. People were asked to ensure that neither the Congress nor the TDP candidates get their deposits.

Party senior leaders – D. Vinay Bhaskar, P. Sudarshan Reddy, B. Bharat Kumar Reddy and others took part in the rally.