New Delhi, Dec 17 (IANS) Terming the protests by legislators and MPs against the proposed creation of Telangana as only a "leaders' movement", a Congress MP said Thursday that the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) was willing to merge with the Congress once the new state is formed.

"TRS is willing to merge with Congress once Telangana is formed," Madhu Goud Yaskhi, Congress MP from Nizamabad in Andhra Pradesh, told IANS here.

Yaskhi said he was in touch with the top leadership of TRS including its chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao.

"Rao has said his only aim is creation of Telangana," the MP said.

The central government had given its principled clearance to Telangana last week amid concerns about the law and order situation following deterioration in Rao's condition after an 11-day fast.

Referring to the 2004 Lok Sabha polls which TRS and Congress had contested together, Yaskhi said the two parties had won 16 of 17 seats in the region.

The MP said that with its present strength in the assembly, Congress was in a position to form the government in both parts if Telangana is carved out of Andhra Pradesh.

He said while Telangana was "a people's movement", the protest by MPs and legislators of Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra against the proposed new state was a "leaders' movement".

"They are trying to misinform and infuriate people. We have appealed to people of Andhra and Rayalaseema not to play into the hands of politicians," he said.

On the question of Hyderabad, he said the city belongs to everyone and it will be the responsibility of Telangana leaders to provide security to people living there and to safeguard their interests.

"As we ask for Telangana, it is our responsibility to provide security to the people," he said.