KARIMNAGAR, OCT. 24. District Congress leaders have appealed to the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president, D. Srinivas, to break ties with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi before the ensuing local body elections in the State.

The APCC president and the Minister for Rural Development visited Karimnagar town to review the membership enrolment of the party on Sunday. At the meeting, the Congress leaders, the DCC spokesperson, A. Bhaskar Reddy, the district mahila Congress president, N. Sharada, the district SC cell president, A. Mallesham, the district Youth Congress president, Y. Sunil Rao, and others vehemently opposed the alliance with the TRS.

They said TRS leaders were ill-treating Congress workers in the district. They were saved only because of presence of the Minister for Endowments, M. Satyanarayana Rao, and four strong legislators in the district. They also threatened to commit suicide in front of the Gandhi Bhavan if the party high command failed to break ties with the TRS at the earliest.

Membership drive

Reacting to the workers' woes, Mr. Srinivas appealed to them to ensure the victory of Congress candidates in the elections without alliance with any political party. He promised that the party would take "the right decision" at an appropriate time, and said they would take up a special membership enrolment drive between November 1 and 15 in the State. The Minister for Endowments, the ZP chairman, K.V Rajeshwara Rao, the legislators, J. Ratnakara Rao, T. Jeevan Reddy, the party leader, Mary Ravindranath, and others were present.