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TRS springs a surprise, attends Opposition meet in Delhi

The meeting was held at the office of senior Congress leader and leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge

Hyderabad: In a sudden political development, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) attended the meeting of Opposition parties convened by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Tuesday to discuss the suspension of 12 Rajya Sabha members belonging to Opposition parties for the entire session of the ongoing winter session of Parliament.

The meeting held at the office of senior Congress leader and leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Parliament premises was attended by TRS parliamentary party leader K. Keshava Rao. The TRS was among the 16 Opposition parties which attended the meeting to decide the future course of action against suspension of 12 MPs.

The TRS' presence in the meeting assumes political significance against the backdrop of party president and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao launching a scathing attack against the BJP-led government at the Centre since early-November over paddy procurement issue in Telangana.

The TRS has been staying away from all the meetings being conducted by Opposition parties at national-level all these years. The TRS was not part of any agitation programmes announced by the Opposition parties against the Centre.
The TRS only participated in Bharat Bandh called by farmers' unions in December last year against the Centre's farm laws but later kept quiet. During voting on farm laws in Parliament last year, the TRS MPs abstained from voting while several opposition parties voted against the bills. Against this backdrop, the TRS attending the Opposition meeting convened by Rahul Gandhi led to a heated debate in political circles over TRS joining hands with other Opposition parties against the BJP-led government at the Centre.

In the press conference held at Pragathi Bhavan on Monday, Chandrashekar Rao said he had never seen such a 'atrocious and wicked' government like the BJP government at the Centre and this government had to be shown the door in the next elections if the farmers, the poor, the middle-class and employees have to progress and prosper.

The Rajya Sabha, on the first day of its winter session on Monday, suspended as many as 12 of its members for their 'unruly and violent behaviour' in the House. Suspended MPs include six from the Congress, two each from the TMC and the Shiv Sena, one each from the CPM and the CPI. All 12 MPs have been suspended for the rest of the current session, ending on December 23.

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