DS justifies quitting Congress

‘CALL OF CONSCIENCE’

Former Congress leader says he joined TRS to better serve weaker sections and backward classes in TS

• Says he continues to hold AICC president Sonia Gandhi in high esteem
• Denies that he is after power or position
• Lauds KCR for his stellar role in achieving separate Telangana State

Hyderabad: In an attempt to justify his act of leaving Congress to join the ruling TRS, former APCC president D Srinivas on Thursday said that he had resigned from the party to join the TRS “as my conscience wanted me to strive for empowerment of the weaker sections and backward classes” in the new state of Telangana.

Addressing a media conference here, DS, as he is popularly known, reiterated that he would continue to hold in high esteem AICC president Sonia Gandhi for all her support and encouragement for his growth in political life. DS, who had sent his resignation letter last night to Sonia Gandhi, had explained the circumstances which led to his taking such a “painful decision” to quit the party with which he had been associated for nearly five decades.

“There is no denial of the fact that it was Sonia Gandhi who had helped pave way for the creation of separate Telangana, while it is K Chandrashekar Rao who had strived hard to make it a reality,” he told the media. Recalling that he too had, in his own way, contributed for the formation of Telangana State, DS pointed out, that he was the one as the then Congress Deputy Leader in the Assembly had in a marathon debate explained the imperative need and urgency for bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh to enable the creation of a Telangana State.

DS further said it was undoubtedly KCR who had ensured that the new State was carved out with his relentless struggle and sacrifice and thus deserved all credit for the same. KCR had been working with conviction and commitment to transform the State into Bangaru Telangana. To make this a reality, he had decided to join the TRS, he added. Replying to a volley of questions from the media, DS repeatedly declared that he was not after power or position as was being alleged by some Congress leaders.

He also refuted the charge that he was sore with the Congress High Command for denying him MLC ticket and instead his junior leader was selected. “What is in an MLC post. It is inconsequential. I had issued over 200 MLC tickets to aspirants. The post is not that mattered. It is my self-respect,” he thundered and regretted that senior Congress leaders from the State and also from New Delhi were weaving baseless stories against him.

He explained that another reason for him to say adieu to Congress was that it was not functioning in tune with the changed circumstances. The neighbouring AP government was creating problems and hurdles for the free functioning of the Telangana government.

And at this stage, all political parties, irrespective of their ideologies, should come together in support of the Telangana government in its fight against the Machiavellian mechanisms of the AP government, he pointed out and regretted that the Congress leadership in the State had utterly failed in this aspect.