Rajaiah to stay in Congress

Speaks of ill-treatment by TRS supremo A Says he nurses no grudge against two Congress MPs A Likely to meet the Chief Minister today A BJP leaders are in touch with him?A

Hyderabad : Unhappy over the manner in which he was treated by TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao, Warangal MP S Rajaiah on Friday said that he was not quitting Congress. He vowed to remain in the party and continue his fight for a separate Telangana.

Rajaiah, who had virtually gone underground since Thursday morning, told media on Friday evening that he was cheated by KCR. Expressing his displeasure Rajaiah said, "KCR invited me to join TRS. While he gave a 'one plus one offer' to Manda Jagannadham and G Vivekananda, in my case he did not even assure me of an Assembly seat." He said that all that KCR told him was that since Kadiyam has been promised the Warangal Lok Sabha seat, he cannot be accommodated from that place.

This, Rajaiah felt, was an insult meted to him and he also blames senior Congress leader K Keshav Rao for not standing by him.A Reiterating that he will continue his fight for bifurcation of the State while being in the Congress, Rajaiah said that he hopes that the Centre would keep up its promise before the elections take place. Stating that he nurses no grudge against the two MPs who were joining TRS, the Warangal MP said that he will extend all possible cooperation to them in the struggle for a separate state.

Rajaiah is likely to meet Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Saturday to explain about the developments that have taken place during the last two days and why he has decided to stay back in the Congress. He is also likely to meet the leaders of party high command next week. It is learnt that the State BJP leaders are also in touch with him and are willing to offer Warangal Lok Sabha seat.

Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Social Justice Balram Naik in Delhi said that the decision of the two MPs to quit Congress will not affect the prospects of the party in Telangana. A The two MPs who are leaving the party should explain whether it was for achieving Telangana or for winning the 2014 elections. They should clarify how their decision to quit Congress will bring Telangana, he said and added that they have committed a big mistake. Another senior Congress leader P Shankar Rao also found fault with the decision of Manda and Vivek and said that their exit from the party will not have any impact on the prospects of the Congress.

Rao said that ultimately it is the Congress which will make Telangana a reality and once that happened, TRS will merge with Congress so it really does not matter even if some leave the party and join TRS.A However, he minced no words in criticising the Chief Minister for his 'autocratic' style of functioning. He predicted that soon the high command will effect a change in the State leadership.