Elections 2014: Telangana Rashtriya Samiti rules out support to BJP, backs Congress or Third Front

NEW DELHI: On the eve of the Lok Sabha election results, the Telangana Rashtriya Samiti ( TRS) has ruled out extending support to a BJP-led NDA and said it would rather prefer to support a Congress-led UPA government at the Centre in the event of a hung House.

The Modi-led BJP has been counting TRS as one of its potential post-poll allies, especially after the latter fought the Telangana elections without an alliance with Congress.

A TRS statement in Hyderabad on Thursday made many wonder whether the party was trying to bargain with BJP or may be now feeling the need for Congress’ support to prop up the first-ever government in the new state.

TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao's daughter and party leader K Kavitha also said that the party is unlikely to support an NDA government as it believes that a “secular government should be in place” at the Centre. “In general, in a democracy like India, we believe that a secular government should be in place, so if at all UPA has a chance, we will back UPA otherwise if the Third Front has a chance, we will back the Third Front,” Kavitha also said TRS has always maintained that it was the effort of Congress president Sonia Gandhi which paved the way for the formation of Telangana.

Kavitha also expressed the hope that the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), which is expected to get nine seats in the assembly polls, will support the party. “We have MIM as well, which will easily get about 9 seats. MIM will be there as an option. Congress, of course, is there,” she said. Kavitha said TRS will receive support from “any other party than TDP-BJP”.
A TRS tie-up or merger with Congress did not happen before the elections as the party had issues with the local Congress leadership, Kavitha said. Congress and TRS were engaged in a bitter war of words during the election campaign.

Polling concluded in Telangana on April 30. Rao has expressed confidence that TRS would get absolute majority to form the first government in the new state of Telangana.

Asked about the chance of TRS supporting an NDA government, she said, “Not really. But only hope that we have is if at all an NDA government comes into place, they should not ignore Telangana.” On the question of TRS seeking support of other parties for forming the first government in Telangana, she said any party except TDP-BJP was welcome.