HYDERABAD, OCT. 24. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president and Union Minister, K. Chandrasekhar Rao, has said the constituent parties of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) other than Congress and the Left will be consulted soon to mount pressure on the Centre to concede Statehood for Telangana.

Speaking to reporters before he left for Delhi on Sunday, Mr. Rao said the non-Congress and non-Left parties could also form a coordination committee to ask the UPA Government to implement the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) which had committed itself to creation of the new State. With the Maharashtra Assembly elections over, the Centre had no bigger issue before it to settle than Telangana.

"It's up to Congress''

Therefore, there was no reason why it should be further dragged, he said.

Mr. Rao expected the Cabinet of the UPA Government to give its approval to Telangana next month. The TRS waited to get its demand conceded by Congress until now in view of the Maharashtra elections.

No more wait

There was no question of waiting anymore. It was up to the Congress to decide for itself.

The TRS was not subservient to the Congress, Mr. Rao said and added adding both parties had separate identities.

Asked to react to the BJP president, L.K. Advani's remark during the day that he was a Minister without portfolio for five months, exposing the chinks in the coalition politics of the UPA Government, Mr. Rao said he had himself surrendered the portfolio in the interest of stability of the Government.

To another question, Mr. Rao said the continuation of the TRS-Congress alliance till the elections to the local bodies next year depended on "the commitment'' of the Congress to meet the demand of the TRS.

He dismissed the talk of second States Reorganisation Commission as a recommendatory body for formation of the State.

..Hindu