Hyderabad: Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) president and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is consulting leaders of several regional parties to see if they are interested in forming the Federal Front.
The formation of such a Federal Front would be possible only after the general election next year. At present there are two Fronts at national level — the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) led by the Congress.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is trying to unite all anti-BJP parties at national level to fight the BJP in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. But Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is trying to form his Federal Front at national level to fight both the BJP and the Congress.
Both Chief Ministers are consulting the same parties. Except for one or two parties, the parties they are both consulting are supporting, directly or indirectly, the UPA; they are not touching NDA allies.
To weaken the BJP, Mr Naidu should break the regional parties’ alliance with the NDA.
To weaken the BJP, Mr Naidu should break the regional parties’ alliance with the NDA. Similarly, Mr Rao should woo the allies of both the BJP and the Congress.
Mr Rao on Monday held second round of talks with West Bengal Chief Mini-ster Mamata Banerjee. He is also planning to meet DMK chief M.K. Stalin, Janata Dal (United) chief Deve Gouda, former UP Chief Ministers Akhilesh Yadav (SP) and Mayawati (BSP). Mr Naidu has held discussions with the same leaders for the anti-BJP coalition.
Parties supporting the UPA have been forming alliances of their own, but the allies of the NDA show no such inclination. At one time the Congress, Trinamul, BSP and SP had stated that they would form the Mahagathbandan (grand alliance) against the BJP in the next parliamentary elections. But recently, the Trinamul has decided to fight on its own. Congress president Rahul Gandhi has also told his party leaders in West Bengal to fight the Trinamool Congress.
In Uttar Pradesh, the BSP, SP and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) have decided to fight the Lok Sabha elections together, without an alliance with
the Congress. Only the Biju Janata Dal, who supported the NDA from outside, was consulted by Mr Rao.
While parties are supporting Mr Rao’s proposal, they may take a decision only after seeing the Lok Sabha results.
