Dissidence gathers momentum in TRS

Dissidence in the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) gathered momentum Monday with a group of rebels making a vain attempt to seize Telangana Bhavan, the party headquarters, while party chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao made a sensational allegation that the ruling Congress party had hatched a conspiracy to kill him.

A group of dissidents, led by former MP Ravindra Naik, tried to enter party headquarters but were prevented by the loyalists of Chandrasekhara Rao. The dissidents claimed that Naik was attacked by supporters of the party president.

The dissidents are demanding that KCR, as Chandrasekhara Rao is popularly called by his initials, resign as party president, owning moral responsibility for the party's poor performance in recent elections.

Meanwhile, KCR alleged that the ruling Congress party had hatched a conspiracy to kill him to finish off the movement for a separate statehood to Telangana region.

He told reporters after an emergency meeting of the party's state executive committee that anti-Telangana forces had come together to eliminate him. "I am ready to lay down my life for the cause of Telangana but I will never give up the movement," he said.

The meeting decided to constitute a political affairs committee to chalk out a strategy for strengthening the party and the Telangana movement. The latest developments within the party were also discussed.

The move came a day after party leadership expelled five dissidents for indulging in anti-party activities.

The TRS could win only 10 assembly and two Lok Sabha seats in the recent elections though it contested 45 assembly and nine Lok Sabha seats in alliance with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the two Left parties.

Last updated on Jun 15^th, 2009 at 20:26 pm IST--IANS