Eye on Presidential polls, KCR meets Opposition leaders

New Delhi: TRS supremo and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) has been having extensive discussions with Opposition leaders, including non-BJP Chief Ministers of states, as well as academicians and economists, with a “national level agenda” to form a “consortium of like-minded” entities to raise people’s issues.
“The specific agenda will evolve with discussions and when it will take a shape, an announcement will be made by KCR himself,” a party leader said. Amid back-to-back meetings with Opposition leaders, there is head-scratching in political corridors about whether KCR wants to set up a third front. If the political buzz is to be believed, the immediate plan is to target the Presidential elections in July.
However, a TRS leader said, “It is just an agenda at the national level,” which the party describes as a bid to form a “consortium of like-minded” entities which would set up as a platform to raise people’s issues. Tamil Nadu CM and DMK supremo M.K. Stalin, Janata Dal Secular chief Deve Gowda and former Karnataka CM H.D. Kumaraswamy have shown inclination towards “KCR’s agenda”. The “agenda’ may be announced this month. KCR has also met AAP chief Arwind Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subramaniam Swamy, Shiv Sena chief and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren and farmer leader Rakesh Tikait. He is also scheduled to visit Mamata Banerjee after which he will meet leaders in Bihar.
Despite TRS’ claims, talking about the Third Front, one of the top leaders of one of the prominent regional parties who was invited by KCR sometime back indicated that there are different considerations for Sharad Pawar and Mamata Banerjee and it is important to come to a consensus for the Third Front to emerge at all. A senior political analyst in Telangana said, “The talks have mainly been a failure as there are some state leaders who have already shown reluctance to go national with KCR; it is more probable that they will also not take part in his activities.” An expert said that even if a Third Front emerges, north India and south India have separate political requirements. They have to choose a face which will be acceptable by both the regions, and that is going to impede the setting up of a formidable alliance in shape of the Third Front.