By IANS,
Hyderabad : The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), which has two members in the Lok Sabha, was mounting pressure on the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) to make a firm commitment on carving out a separate Telangana state in exchange for its support in a trust vote.
TRS president and MP K. Chandrasekhara Rao Thursday spoke to leaders of Janata Dal-Secualr (JD-S), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) by telephone to seek their support for creation of the Telangana state by bifurcating Andhra Pradesh.
In case of a trust vote in parliament, Rao urged the smaller parties to vote for the UPA government only if it gave firm commitment to set in motion the process for formation of separate Telangana.
Central Agriculture Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar Tuesday spoke to Rao, seeking TRS support for the government but the TRS leader laid down the condition of creation of separate state.
TRS, spearheading the movement for separate statehood to Telangana region comprising 10 districts including Hyderabad, feels that with the communist parties withdrawing support to the government, time has come for carving out a separate state.
TRS, which pulled out of the Congress-led coalition two years ago, pointed out that the UPA delayed formation of a separate state for four years on the ground that the communist parties were opposed to it.
Rao spoke to JD-S chief and former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda, JMM leader Shibu Soren and RLD leader Ajit Singh and urged them to bring pressure to bear on the UPA government.
Another MP, A. Narendra, who was expelled from TRS last year over his alleged role in a human trafficking scandal, has also announced he would vote for UPA only if it gives firm commitment to form Telangana state.