TRS meet tomorrow to decide on merger or alliance with Cong

Amid suspense whether TRS would merge with Congress or forge an alliance, a crucial meeting of the regional party would be held tomorrow to take a call on the issue.

The joint meeting of TRS politburo, MLAs and state executive would be held at the party office here to deliberate on the political strategy for the future.

The meeting comes against the backdrop of the ties between the two parties running into rough weather with the TRS taking exception to the Congress "poaching" on its leaders.

TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao had announced that he would be willing to merge his party with Congress if the latter accepted the separate Telangana demand.

He had also called on Congress president Sonia Gandhi, along with his family, to thank her for the passage of the Telangana Bill in Parliament.

However, the strain in the ties came with TRS MLA G Aravind Reddy and its expelled MP Vijayashanti joining the national party last week.

"It is certainly in bad taste with the Congress party, while talking to us about a merger or an alliance, at the same time they go about poaching our sitting MLA Aravind Reddy... They also admitted one of our expelled MPs.

"Therefore, this is something the Congress leadership needs to understand, that if you want to be friends with TRS, you cannot be picking up people from TRS and expect us to be friends also," TRS MLA and Chandrasekhar Rao's son K T Rama Rao said here on Friday last.

Moreover, several TRS leaders and workers are said to be against a merger with Congress.

Addressing a gathering here on Friday, the TRS president took objection to certain comments reportedly made by Union minister Jairam Ramesh during his visit to the city.

"A minister by name Jairam Ramesh came (to Hyderabad) yesterday. He said I am personally against the formation of Telangana. How can he insult Telangana sitting in Hyderabad, our land. How painful we feel, if a central minister speaks like this," Rao had said.

He was also critical of the move to give some villages, allegedly facing submergence due to Polavaram multi-purpose irrigation project, to Seemandhra.

"We also felt that we should work together (with Congress) if there is respect and be good. The issue will be settled in a few days. We have a party meeting on March 3. All important leaders would be there. I cannot individually decide. Let's take a decision in the state party meeting. Whatever is good for Telangana, we will take that route," the TRS president had said.