Cong divided over deal with YSRTP
SNCN ACHARYULU
Hyderabad
Congress leaders have different opinions about their party’s alliance with the YSR Telangana Party headed by YS Sharmila or its merger with the Congress.
After the meeting between Karnataka PCC President Deputy Chief Minister DK Shiv Kumar and Sharmila on Tuesday, Congress leaders think that YSR Telangana Party Chief Sharmila may take a decision to have an alliance with their party or merge her party with the Congress.
Some Congress leaders are worried that Sharmila may become another Chandrababu Naidu for their party during the Assembly elections. But some other Congress leaders think that if Sharmila has an alliance with the Congress or merges her party with the Congress it will prove advantageous to the party.
During the 2018 Assembly elections, the Congress had an alliance with the TDP headed by N. Chandrababu Naidu. This enabled the BRS to ignite the Telangana sentiment. If Sharmila has an alliance or merges her party with the Congress she will have a key role in the party.If this happens some Congress leaders think that the BRS may use it to ignite the Telangana sentiment in the next Assembly elections too.
But some Congress leaders say that there is no similarity between Chandrababu and Sharmila. Chandrababu opposed the creation of the Telangana State and the BRS branded him as anti-Telangana. But Sharmila never spoke against Telangana.
Moreover, Chandrababu was the Chief Minister of United Andhra Pradesh and also the Chief Minister of AP after the bifurcation.
Congress leaders say that the people of Telangana think that Chandrababu worked against the interests of Telangana as Chief Minister in United Andhra Pradesh and after the separation of Telangana. But Sharmila was never in power and never spoke against Telangana.
The poor of Telangana still remember late Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy’s welfare schemes. Sharmila has some following in Telangana due to YSR’s legacy.
Congress leaders think that this will help their party in the Assembly elections. They said that if Sharmila merges her party with the Congress her political moves will be only in Telangana and not in Andhra Pradesh.
It may be recalled that Sharmila had announced long back that she will contest from the Palair Assembly constituency in the erstwhile Khammam district. After speculations about YSR Telangana Party’s alliance with the Congress or its merger Sharmila again said two days ago also that she will contest from Palair and challenged the opposition to defeat her. So it is clear that Sharmila will confine herself to Telangana politics.
