Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao meets Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik, says regional parties need to unite
BHUBANESHWAR: With the recent Assembly elections throwing up ambiguous signals and Telangana Chief Minister and TRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) storming to victory in face of Mahakutami, the possibility of a non-BJP, non-Congress Third Front has gained momentum.
Making his first move, the Telangana CM on Sunday met his Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik and the two regional satraps sent out positive vibes.
Adhering to his proclaimed policy of equi-distance from the BJP and Congress, Naveen hinted at the possibility of an alternative front of like minded parties after his meeting with the Telangana CM.
Talking to mediapersons at a joint press conference with KCR, Patnaik said they discussed a number of issues, including matters of national and mutual interest. Meeting between the two regional satraps lasted for over 40 minutes.
“We had a general discussion on matters of national interest and how to take this forward. We discussed several issues, including a further friendship amongst the like minded parties,” he said.
The meeting assumed significance as the Odisha CM, though circumspect, opened up about the future course of action by the BJD and did not rule out the possibility of like minded regional parties joining forces in the run-up to the 2019 polls.
Asked, if the meeting could be seen as both joining hands ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Naveen said, “We have not thought that far, lets see”. He although hinted that meetings with KCR will continue in this regard.
The TRS boss was on the same page. KCR said there is a ‘dire need’ for regional parties to come together against BJP and Congress and added that talks with his Odisha counterpart have ‘just started.’ “We will meet again soon,” he said.
“The country needs a political change, a change for which a dialogue has begun. We are making an effort; nothing concrete has come out till now. I believe something will emerge soon. We will meet again shortly. There is a dire need for unification of regional parties in the country,” he said.
KCR is also reaching out to regional parties to cobble up a non-Congress, non-BJP alliance ahead of the parliamentary elections. He is scheduled to meet West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata on Monday.
The TRS Supremo will also meet Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav at New Delhi next week.
Naveen said he and KCR discussed the Polavaram issue and 33 percent reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies. “We discussed Polavaram issue and how to carry that forward,” he said.
Congratulating the TRS supremo for the tremendous victory in Telangana in the recently concluded assembly elections, Naveen also praised the agriculture policy of KCR and said that some more progressive points have been added by the Odisha Government in its own policy.
The bonhomie between the two leaders was palpable as KCR praised Naveen’s new scheme Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) as a very good initiative for the farmers.
The Telangana CM praised Naveen as a good role model. “He (Naveen) is a selfless political leader and a tall personality,” he said and congratulated him for taking initiative on the issue of 33 percent reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies. “I received a letter from him in this regard and we support it,” he said.
Dismissing the Congress criticism of his initiative as a move to weaken the anti-NDA and anti-BJP forces before the next elections and the party’s jibe that TRS is the ‘B’ team of BJP, KCR said, “The Congress leaders have become a joke. We are not B team of anybody, We are our own team,” he said.