Peeved by the boasts of Telangana Rashtra Samiti leaders, Pradesh Congress Committee president Mr D. Srinivas, on Thursday lashed out at the TRS and challenged it to bring statehood for the region on its own. “If I lose my deposit in the bypolls and the Congress loses all the seats, can the TRS ensure the formation of Telangana state? If they say yes, I will withdraw from the contest,” Mr Srinivas said.
Speaking to newsmen at Gandhi Bhavan, Mr Srinivas said the TRS leaders were proclaiming themselves as saviours of Telangana but the “TRS is in a panic as their existence is at stake in the bypolls. The Congress stands a better chance.” Mr Srinivas said the TRS had never contested all the seats in Telangana and whenever it won, it did so owing to its alliance either with the Congress or the Telugu Desam.
A party with such a track record cannot claim to be the champion of Telangana. He took strong objection to the statements made by the Telangana Students’ JAC which threatened to stone candidates other than those belonging to the TRS. Replying to a question, Mr Srinivas made his stand clear: “I have been, I am, and I will be a champion of a separate state of Telangana.”
