TRS chief rules out merger with Congress

The Telangana Rashtra Samiti will never merge with any other party and will continue as the 'sole voice' of Telangana people even if statehood is granted to the region, party chief K Chandrasekhar Rao said on Tuesday.

"The TRS will retain its identity and existence under any circumstances. It will never merge with any other party," he told a gathering at the party headquarter in Hyderabad.

His remarks assume significance in the wake of comments by Telugu Desam Party leaders that Rao would merge TRS with the Congress in return for formation of a separate Telangana.

The TDP leaders cited Rao's comments in an interview -- that his party will take a collective decision about the question of merger with the Congress if such a situation arises. Expressing confidence that Telangana state will one day become a reality, Rao said the TRS will "retain its identity even after the formation of the separate state and strive for the welfare of all sections, especially Dalits, backward classes and minorities".

He reiterated his decision to make a Dalit the chief minister after the formation of Telangana state.

The former Union minister also defended his comments that a 'civil war' would break out if Telangana state is not formed. "After my meeting with the Srikrishna Committee in Delhi, I was asked by journalists what will happen if Telangana state is not formed. I replied that it will lead to unnatural incidents and a civil war-like situation will arise," he said.

Rao hit out at Andhra Pradesh Congress President D Srinivas for not giving a report to the Srikrishna Committee, appointed by the Centre to look into the Telangana issue, in favour of the creation of a separate state.

"Why Srinivas cannot give a report to the Srikrishna Committee? Why should he feel that Congress leaders from non- Telangana regions would object? Why he cannot be firm in his support for Telangana? If he is worried about his position, I would have sacrificed my Mahabubnagar Lok Sabha seat and made Srinivas win from there," Rao said.

Today is the 10th anniversary of the formation of the TRS, but the party decided to celebrate the occasion on Wednesday in view of the nationwide shutdown called by Left parties and the TDP against the rise in prices of essential commodities.