HYDERABAD: Ahead of the swearing-in of JD (S) president HD Kumaraswamy as Karnataka Chief Minister, slated for Tuesday, political circles and TRS leaders are eager to see whether Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will attend the programme, which is likely to be participated by AICC president Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders.
A debate is going on among the pink party leaders on whether their boss will turn up at Kumaraswamy's function. A section of TRS leaders say that as Kumaraswamy is forming the government with the support of Congress, KCR's presence at the swearing-in might give wrong signals that the pink party is leaning towards Congress. Further, since the aim of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is to form a non-Congress and non-BJP front at the national level, the argument of these leaders is that if he graces the occasion, it would be against his proposal to maintain equidistance from both the national parties.
Since Congress is the main rival for TRS in Telangana, many TRS leaders are of the view that KCR might skip Kumaraswamy's swearing-in ceremony.
Another section say that as KCR gave a call to Telugus in Karnataka to vote for JD(S) in the recently-held Assembly polls, it would be apt for him to make his presence at the function. "True to the prediction of KCR, a regional party like JD(S) emerged as a crucial player in Karnataka, even as the two national parties are unable to form the government. Hence, the TRS supremo's presence at swearing-in would give strength to the argument that regional parties might decide who should form the government at the Centre after 2019 polls," a leader commented.
In fact, the Chief Minister recently, during a press conference, predicted that Karnataka-like fractured verdict would be witnessed in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. He further felt that during such a situation, his proposed Federal Front would play a key role at the national level.
In a significant development, TRS Parliamentary Party leader AP Jithender Reddy and party MP Ch Malla Reddy met JD(S) national president and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda at his residence in Bengaluru on Monday.
TRS, Cong like twins
Continuing his tirade against Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, BJP state unit president K Laxman on Monday alleged that TRS and Congress were like twins. "For the sake of public consumption, the two parties are crossing swords with each other in TS. In fact, there is a tactic understanding between the two parties. KCR helped both Congress and JD(S) set up camps with the MLAs of the respective parties in Hyderabad, the other day. He is a pawn in the hands of the Congress to prevent BJP from coming to power in States where regional parties are present. That's why KCR is forming the Federal Front," Laxman attacked. Addressing his party cadres, the BJP leader said TRS would play JD(S) role in Telangana after the 2019 polls and help the Congress in forming the government. "In fact the CMs of the two Telugu-speaking states are indirectly helping Congress as the duo opposes BJP," he criticised.