Telangana Jana Samithi looking for 'pragmatic alliance'

: Telangana Jana Samithi Wednesday said various parties have approached it for a possible pre-poll alliance for the assembly elections in the state and it would insist on a common manifesto if it decides to join them.

Though the party formed earlier this year, had initially decided not to have any pre-poll alliance, it had to change its strategy owing to the current state of affairs, its president M Kodandaram said.

He had played a key role in the Telangana agitation as chairman of Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) but later fell apart with Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, claiming the TRS government's policies were not aligned with the people.

"Yes, that (common manifesto) is the fundamental thing we insist (if there is an pre-poll alliance with other parties)," Kodandaram told PTI.

Replying to a query, he said different parties have approached him on the issue of alliance and the TJS was yet to take a decision on it.

"Different parties have been making this proposal... so far we have met and discussed with them and tried to find out their thinking about the alliance. It (alliance) should be debated at different levels. Political affairs committee will come back to the core group then the state committee will finalise the issue," he said.

The TJS leader said the party would look for a pragmatic alliance but with focus on retaining its own political identity.

On reported differences with KCR, the professor-turned-politician said having achieved creation of Telangana, he saw the necessity to act like a "pressure group" as the TRS government did not implement programmes that were thought to be necessary.

Kodandaram Wednesday undertook a day-long fast to pay tribute to Telangana martyrs and also protest the government's "attitude" in not building a memorial for them, TJS senior leader K Dilip Kumar said.