Mamata, KCR discuss new ‘federal poll front’

Shubhadeep Choudhury

Tribune News Service

Kolkata, March 19

The possibility of cobbling up a joint front of like-minded parties minus the Congress to challenge the ruling BJP-led alliance in next year’s General Election was on Monday discussed at a meeting held here between Telengana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee.

The two had a meeting that lasted for around two hours. Later, talking to mediapersons, Rao said the meeting signified the “beginning” of a “non-Congress, non-BJP front”. Rao claimed the front would offer something to people that neither the Congress nor the BJP had been able to despite having long stints in the government. He claimed the agenda of the front would be quite different from what was being known to people all these years.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

“It is not going to be a mere political front of some parties. It is going to be federal front of the people of India. We fully understand that there is a great deal of need in this country for a qualitative change. We need to liberate the country like the East Asian Tigers, like China, like so many other economic models,” Rao said.

“The kind of administration being offered alternatively by the Congress and the BJP had not really worked well for the country,” Rao said.

The TRS leader said so what if people were fed up with the BJP and voted for Congress. “There will be no chamatkar (miracle),” Rao said, adding that India badly needed a “chamatkar”.

On being asked if he envisaged a government of regional parties with outside support from the Congress, Rao answered that they envisaged nothing so commonplace.

Rao, however, added that the two of them (Rao and Mamata) would not be able to answer all the questions since there would be other stakeholders too in the front whose inputs would have to be taken on board. He hoped that everything would “become clear” in the next meeting of the proposed front, which would see participation from representatives of more parties.

When asked if the call for a federal front amounted to saying no to Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee snapped back, saying: “Please do not put words in my mouth. Rahul elucidated his views on Sunday. I am also entitled to express my views.”

On the issue of leadership of the front, Rao said there would be a collective leadership. However, he added that the leader would emerge as the situation would develop.

Banerjee, it may be noted, had a telephonic conversation with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on the subject on Sunday. She is also in touch with NCP leader Sharad Pawar and is expected to attend a meeting being held in this connection in Delhi next week.