The Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) became the latest party to join the ‘Maha Kootami’ (grand alliance) on Friday after party chief Professor Kodandaram met with leaders of the Congress, Telugu Desam Party and Communist Party of India.

Kodandaram played an active role in the Telangana struggle for separate statehood as head of the Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) and was one of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's biggest supporters. Today, he is considered one of his most vocal critics.

“We have proposed that the alliance be formed on the basis of a mutually agreed agenda that reflects the aspirations of the Telangana movement. This agenda should be given a legal status once the alliance comes to power and all the alliance partners, including the prospective chief minister, should be part of a committee for the implementation of the agenda,” Kodandaram was quoted as saying.

While the parties are yet to finalise their seat sharing, the Maha Kootami said that it was all set to take on the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi in the ensuing Assembly elections.

Amidst much fanfare, TJAC’s former chairman, M Kodandaram, formally launched his party TJS in April this year at Saroornagar in Hyderabad.

Kodandaram said that he was forced to form a political party as the government had violated democratic norms with impunity.  He said that his party’s objective is social justice, as envisaged by Dr BR Ambedkar.

Meanwhile, the Congress party on Friday announced its screening committee for Telangana with former MP Bhakta Charan Das as its chairperson.

The other two members of the committee are Jothimani Sennimalai and Sharmistha Mukherjee. The announcement was made by party General Secretary Ashok Gehlot.

The Telangana Assembly was dissolved on September 6, paving way for an early election in the state. The Opposition parties have termed TRS chief's action as undemocratic.

With IANS inputs