In this interview with Rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa, Rao says that he has decided to join the TRS, but would wait until Thursday night before taking a final decision.
The Congress Working Committee is likely to take a final decision on the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh to create a state of Telangana on Tuesday.
Ending speculations, Telangana Rashtra Samiti president and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Sunday said he would launch a national party following more discussions with a cross-section of society.
The Congress seems to have realised that a decision on Telangana cannot be delayed any further. A formal announcement on this could come by January 2013. Vicky Nanjappa reports
The rebellion within the Congress about the Telangana issue is getting worse. Congress leaders from Telangana first tendered their resignations and then went up to the Osmania University campus to continue their protests. When they were prevented from entering the campus, they shouted slogans against party chief Sonia Gandhi. Congress leaders from Telangana are now planning on a two day bandh across the region to step up pressure on the government to make a final decision.
Key United Progressive Alliance ally Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and opposition Bharatiya Janata Party were on the same page on Sunday in their criticism of the Centre and the Congress over the handling of the Telangana statehood issue, which has spawned a crisis in Andhra Pradesh.
Modi believes that the Congress leadership does not have the political sagacity to undertake a course correction because of its preoccupation about not losing its current gains in the voter base, observes Shekhar Iyer.
The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday questioned former Indian cricket team captain and Congress leader Mohammed Azharuddin for over nine hours in a money laundering case linked to alleged financial irregularities in the Hyderabad Cricket Association, official sources said.
Interestingly both parties in question are in denial mode, but reliable sources say that the offer to merge was made by the Congress.
K Chandrasekhar Rao, in an interview with Rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa, says the TRS has decided to fight the election on its own and is convinced the people will reward them for their efforts.
The Congress believes the Telangana Rashtra Samithi will decide in favour of a merger as the decision on statehood has deprived the regional party of its chief electoral plank and an issue that defined its identity. Anita Katyal reports
The Congress has not found the answers to many niggling questions on Telangana, but the party has already chalked out a political game-plan in the new state, says a correspondent in Delhi
Congress leaders from Telangana are up in arms against the party high command's choice of four representatives for Tuesday's talks with Union Home Minister P Chidambaram as three of them were from Andhra and Rayala Seema region and known antagonists of a separate state.
In UP and Bengal, it is willing to sacrifice its interests to stop the BJP and would work towards ensuring the BJP did not win incremental seats in Odisha and Telangana.
Against the backdrop of a strong agitation for separate statehood, the ruling Congress and the major opposition Telugu Desam Party face a tough challenge in the coming bypolls to 12 assembly seats in Telangana region.
The Congress's central leadership has summoned Andhra Pradesh party unit's chief Botsa Sathyanarayana to Delhi to discuss the Telangana issue. Sathyanarayana is expected to discuss the demand for creation of Telangana with the party's top leaders today. The Congress is working out a package for Telangana to ensure that party leaders are on a strong footing when the Andhra Pradesh legislative assembly starts another session in December.
The Congress on Tuesday suffered a major upset in Himachal Pradesh at the hands of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Rajya Sabha elections which were marred by cross-voting in all the three states though it won three seats in Karnataka while the saffron party pocketed an extra seat in Uttar Pradesh.
The Nizam was laid to rest at the Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad with full State honours. Thousands of mourners took part in the funeral procession.
Though the terms of reference of the committee to look into the creation of a Telangana state may come in the next few days, the Congress is worried about the 'political' price it may have to pay for moving too fast on the statehood issue.
The Telangana bypolls and the opposition's united voice on issues like prices should have come as a wake up call for the Congress. Once the Teflon effect begins to wear off -- and this is beginning to happen -- the party will be on a slippery slope, says Neerja Chowdhury.
Protesting against the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, Congress MP from Rayalseema region Rayapati Samba Siwaa Rao resigned from the primary membership of the party on Friday while heaping praise on Bharatiya Janata Party prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
The decision on Telangana will be taken only after more consultations with senior leaders, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said in New Delhi on Sunday evening. He said leaders from both Rayalseema-Andhra and Telangana will be invited to Delhi for talks before a final decision is taken.
A Hyderabad court granted bail to six people who were arrested for vandalizing the residence of Telugu actor Allu Arjun. The incident sparked a political slugfest with the BJP and the BRS criticizing the Congress government. Meanwhile, Allu Arjun has been issued a notice to appear before police on Tuesday as part of the ongoing probe into a stampede during the screening of 'Pushpa-2'. The incident occurred on Sunday evening, when the six people, claiming to be members of the Osmania University - Joint Action Committee (OU-JAC), damaged flower pots and threw tomatoes at Arjun's residence. They were arrested by police and produced before a local court, which granted them bail on Monday. The incident has been condemned by politicians from various parties, with some alleging a Congress conspiracy.
Having failed to get any concrete response from the Centre following their en masse resignations in support of a separate state, Telangana Congress leaders on Monday decided to undertake a 48-hour fast to highlight their cause.
Sheela Bhatt lists ten quick takeaways from the passage of the Telangana bill in the Lok Sabha.
'The pressure from these betting games, coupled with financial ruin, is becoming unbearable for many, and tragically, some even resort to extreme measures like suicide.'
All the three Union ministers from Telangana, including S Jaipal Reddy, were renominated for Lok Sabha polls as the Congress on Saturday night announced 16 candidates out of a total of 17 from the region which is set to become a separate state.
Dashing the last hopes of the Congress high command, Telangana Rashtra Samiti President K Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday categorically ruled out even an electoral alliance with the party for the forthcoming polls to the Lok Sabha and the state assembly.
After having gone out on a limb over the creation of Telangana, the UPA government is expected to go for the kill and do whatever it takes to pass the bill in Lok Sabha. But the question remains whether the Congress would really be able to push the bill in the noise and confusion. Renu Mittal reports.
With its age-old fascination for education, southern states have done better than the North. Start-ups, IT hubs, and industry majors setting up shop have changed the face of the South. Nearly 79% of global offices set up by international conglomerates in India are in the South. Almost 46% of tech unicorns are from the South. The GDP per person in the South is 4.2 times higher than the North. None of these indicators can be ignored by any central government, whatever the political compulsions, notes Ramesh Menon.
Amid sharp criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Left Parties for deferring a decision on whether Andhra Pradesh should be split to create a separate state, Congress Party on Monday said the issue surrounding the Telangana statehood demand is a very sensitive one and a decision in this regard would be taken at an appropriate time.
If states have to fall in line with MSPs declared by political parties, they will have to do so in violation of central order or bear the full expense of the surplus procured at above MSP rates.
Telangana Congress members of Parliament on Friday asserted that they would participate in the 'rail roko' scheduled to be held in the region for three days from on Saturday in support of the separate statehood demand, despite appeals from the party not to do so.
'On the face of it, the Congress, which took the decision without even consulting its allies, does not have a road map. That is why it is unable to deal with the present explosive situation,' says Kalyani Shankar.
Manmohan Singh said Narasimha Rao can truly be called father of economic reforms in India.
Temples across Uttar Pradesh were packed with devotees on Sunday for Ram Navami, with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath leading prayers at the Gorakhnath Temple. Heavy crowds were witnessed at temples in Lucknow, Gorakhpur, and Varanasi, where security was heightened. In Gorakhpur, Adityanath performed the traditional kanya pujan ritual, while in Varanasi, a 51-foot statue of Lord Ram has become a major attraction. The festival was celebrated with enthusiastic fervor across the state.
'Some false information was carried to Delhi, these negative bits seemed to have played heavily.' Union Textiles Minister KS on why he opposes the Telangana decision.
Jopalli Krishna Rao, Dr Rajaiah and S Sathyanarayana tendered their resignations to Andhra Pradesh Congress chief B Sathyanarayana.
First it was violence and now a non-cooperation movement. The next in the line will be rail roko starting on March 1 to intensify the demand for a separate Telangana state.
In a major setback to the ruling Congress party in Telangana region, its state president D Srinivas was defeated on his home turf of Nizamabad urban constituency by a margin of 12,600 votes.
