The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) will be joining the Andhra Pradesh Cabinet on June 21. This was announced by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy after a meeting with TRS chief and Union Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao.According to sources, the TRS will get seven ministers — 6 with Cabinet rank and one MoS. The party will also get the post of a member of the Planning Commission. Prof K. Jaishankar is tipped to be the man for the post.The TRS has shown its disinclination for Rajya Sabha seats which is the reason why it is getting a sizeable representation in the State Cabinet. Sources stated that when Chandrashekhar Rao met Congress president Sonia Gandhi, she was all praises for him. ‘‘You only give but never ask. You never create tension,’’ the Congress president reportedly said to him. It is learnt that she immediately accepted the number of ministerial berths for TRS when Rao proposed the same. She also instructed her political secretary, Ahmed Patel to pursue the matter of nominating a member of the TRS to the Planning Commission with the Prime Minister.A list of 10-12 portfolios preferred by the TRS has been submitted to Congress president Sonia. He also gave a copy to Rajasekhara Reddy who has been in Delhi for the last two days.Both Reddy and Rao separately called on Sonia. Later, the two were closeted in Andhra Pradesh Bhawan.Reddy did not confirm whether the Congress will also be included in the expansion. ‘‘Wait till June 21 for details,’’ he said.Talking to mediapersons, Rao said his party is joining the government now because the Budget is being presented in the state and the party would like to ensure that sufficient funds are allocated in the Budget for the Telangana region.Explaining the delay in joining the government, Rao said he was waiting for some clear signals to emerge on the issue of a separate state for Telangana. ‘‘Very soon, we will live in Telangana state,’’ he remarked.
