Congress wants TDP to join ‘holy battle’ against TRS

New Delhi: The Congress wants the TDP to join them in the ‘Dharma Yuddham’ (holy war) against ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government in the state. The Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Uttam Kumar Reddy, while describing the next elections as a “holy war” said that the national party along with other like-minded parties will fight against “autocratic, arrogant and dictatorial rule” of KCR and his family members.

The Congress has formed a committee headed by Telangana Congress chief Uttam Kumar Reddy, senior party leaders K. Jana Reddy, working president Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Mohammed Ali Shabbir to explore the possibility of entering a political alliance with the TDP in Telangana. After preliminary discussions the committee will put up a proposal to Congress president Rahul Gandhi for final clearance. Congress senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad will visit Telangana on September 12 and address a gathering of minorities in the Sangareddy district, also reviewing the party’s election preparations.

The TDP has been strong in Andhra Pradesh and is presently fighting the principal opposition party YSR Congress. In Telangana the Congress is the principal opposition party. Interestingly the TDP and the Congress have been rivals since the creation of TDP.

There has been no alliance till now between the two parties. But with the TRS becoming a force to reckon with the Congress is exploring new options. The alliance if it takes place will also have CPM in the bloc. The state Congress also wants civil society, employees’ unions, women organisations, students’ groups and all NGOs and voluntary organisations to join the “Dharma Yuddham”.

In the recently concluded monsoon session of Parliament the Congress supported the No Confidence Motion moved by the TDP against the Narendra Modi government.

Both the Congress and TDP were critical of the Central government. the Congress has already announced that if the party comes to power at the Center it will ensure that the special status is accorded to Andhra Pradesh. The TDP has been demanding special status for Andhra Pradesh from the Central government. In the 119-member Telangana Assembly, TRS has 90 MLAs and its de facto ally AIMIM has 7. Congress has 13, TDP 3, BJP 5 and CPM 1.