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As part of his attempt to stitch together a ‘third front’ against the BJP and the Congress ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday called on his West Bengal counterpart, Mamata Banerjee.
While KCR called for a “qualitative change in governance” at the Centre and spoke of a non-Congress, non-BJP federal front, Banerjee remained non-committal about the proposed coalition being agnostic to the Grand Old Party.
‘It’s a beginning’
Rao, who heads the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, said a “a beginning has been made” on the the formation of a “federal front”. The two leaders had arrived at an “understanding”, KCR said, but added that details would only be revealed later.
“The country needs something good...What will happen if the BJP goes and the Congress comes? Will it do any wonders? We are in talks with like-minded parties,” he said, hinting at the probability of a “non-Congress, non-BJP” front.
KCR had flown to Kolkata to meet Banerjee at Nabanna, the State Secretariat. Discussions on the federal front will be taken forward when “other leaders sit together”, he said, but did not name the other parties.
To a specific question on the federal front’s leadership, Rao said the leader will be selected from among the coalition’s members.
Mamata remains guarded
Banerjee, who was present at the joint address, however, remained guarded in her responses.
“We want the federal front to be strong. But we are not in a hurry,” she said, revealing little about her political strategy.
Sometimes in politics, situations emerge that cause people to work together.
Asked about reaching out to other non-BJP parties, including the Shiv Sena, or even the Congress, for an alliance, the CM said: “We maintain good relations with all parties. Rahul Gandhi has expressed his views; he never asked for ours. So, Rahul ji can express his views and we can express ours.”
The country needs something good...What will happen if the BJP goes and the Congress comes? Will it do any wonders? We are in talks with like-minded parties
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