The Congress party has made it clear that no invitation was extended to Telangana Rashtra Samithi president K Chandrasekhar Rao and YSR Congress party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy for the meeting of anti-Bharatiya Janata Party leaders called by former Congress president and United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on May 23.
Senior Congress leader and AICC general secretary Ahmed Patel confirmed that Sonia had indeed written letters to all the like-minded parties, including Telugu Desam Party, to discuss the post-poll strategy on May 23 night.
However, he denied the reports that appeared in a section of media that Sonia had written letters also to the TRS and YSRC presidents requesting them to attend the meeting.
“As of now, only those parties which have been meeting regularly were invited to the meeting. We shall take a call later on the other parties,” he said.
While the Congress has been a bitter enemy of the TRS in Telangana, the Telugu Desam Party has fought a bitter battle with the YSRC in the recent assembly elections.
Moreover, the Congress leadership is not happy with the attempts of KCR to split the pro-Congress alliance partners in the name of federal front.
“For now, the Congress wants to adopt a wait and watch policy on the TRS and YSRC, which are believed to be closer to the NDA.
“If the Congress coalition can muster enough strength without depending on these two parties, it will not entertain them.
“But if the Congress badly needs the support of the TRS and YSRC, it will change the strategy later,” a party source said.
The Congress knows if it ropes KCR and YSRC into the coalition, it would mean the party has lost hopes of recovering in the Telugu states.
