Date:22/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/22/stories/2008112260190500.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

KCR leaves on ‘bus yatra’

Special Correspondent

Photo: Satish H.

In poll mode: TRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao acknowledging greetings of people as he started on his ‘bus yatra’ from Hyderabad on Friday. —

HYDERABAD: Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) president K. Chandrasekhar Rao left here on a weeklong ‘bus yatra’ to commence on Saturday morning from Bejjur in Adilabad district.

Mr. Rao will tour interior villages of eight Assembly constituencies in Adilabad and Karimnagar districts by a modified Eicher bus up to November 28. The yatra will culminate at Manthani in Karimnagar.

He will be accompanied by Telangana protagonist K. Jayashanker and senior TRS leaders, including G. Vijayarama Rao, T. Harish Rao and D. Ravindra Naik. The TRS chief garlanded the statue of Telangana thalli and performed pooja to the bus before his departure from the party office. For reasons none could explain, he cancelled a scheduled press conference to announce members of the Political Affairs Committee of TRS before leaving by the bus.

Later, party leader K. Dilip Kumar told mediapersons that the announcement of the committee was cancelled at the last minute for unavoidable reasons.

Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao could name the panel any time in the next few days.

He said the tour was taking place at a crucial stage when considerable heat was generated over the demand for separate Telangana. The TRS president’s bus yatra would help mount pressure on the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to concede the demand. He said Mr. Rao would follow up the yatra by some more similar tours of Telangana till the elections.