KCR calls key TRS meet, may step up attack on Centre

Hyderabad, Dec 15: Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao appears to be gearing up to take on the Centre and the BJP on various issues.

He is likely to discuss and decide a strategy at a crucial meeting of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) on Friday.

KCR, as the TRS chief is popularly known, will preside over a joint session of the party MPs, state legislators, party executive, and other leaders.

The meeting is likely to discuss issues like paddy procurement by the Centre and proposed privatisation of four blocks of Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL).

After staging two rounds of protest including once led by KCR himself last month over the issue of paddy procurement, the TRS is likely to decide on the next phase of protest. The party will discuss the recent developments including the stand taken by the Centre in Parliament, blaming the TRS government for slow progress of paddy procurement during the ongoing Kharif season and the boycott of Parliament session by the TRS.

The TRS chief may give direction to the party leaders to step up attacks on the Centre and BJP for misleading the people with "contradictory statements" over the issue of paddy procurement.

The TRS leaders say despite the Centre making it clear that it will not procure parboiled rice during the coming Rabi season, the state BJP leaders continue to create confusion among farmers.

The meeting will also work out a strategy to oppose the Centre's move to privatise four coal blocks of state-owned SCCL. The company last week saw three-day strike by employees, who have threatened to launch an indefinite strike.

KCR also wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to withdraw the proposal to privatise the coal blocks.

The decision to hold the meeting came a day after KCR met his Tamil Nadu counterpart M.K. Stalin in Chennai. The two Chief Ministers believed to have discussed a joint strategy to take on the Centre on various issues. Both the leaders have been targeting the Centre for taking away the powers of the states.