HYDERABAD: Lending his shoulder to TRS supremo and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s efforts to bring together non-BJP forces in the country, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president and former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav on Tuesday exhorted the former to take an active role in the national politics to oust the saffron party. Lalu’s request came after Rao’s recent meetings with top leaders of CPM and CPI to float an alternative front for ensuring “BJP Mukt Bharat”.
RJD leader and Bihar Opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav, son of Lalu Prasad Yadav, called on Rao at Pragathi Bhavan on Tuesday. During the meeting with Tejashwi, Rao called up Lalu Prasad Yadav and enquired about his health.
During the tele-talk, Lalu recalled that RJD supported the separate Telangana statehood movement and then requested Rao to come forward to take an active role in national politics. “You fought relentlessly for the separate Telangana state, sacrificed a lot and reached your target. Now, you are leading Telangana on a developmental path and the entire country is proud of it. Your rule is in favour of all the castes and religions in Telangana. Your experience in governance is required for the nation. You have to play a suitable role at national-level politics in order to protect the secular and democratic culture of the country.
We have to protect the country from the anarchical rule of BJP. For this, all secular forces have to come together. At any cost, we should not allow the country to be ruined. Take the lead,” Lalu told Rao.
According to sources, both Tejashwi and Rao discussed various national issues. Former Bihar Minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui, former MLC Sunil Singh and former MLA Bhola Yadav and TRS working president KT Rama Rao and TRS MP J Santosh Kumar were also present.
According to sources, KCR and Tejashwi Yadav discussed the need for unity among all secular forces in the country to thwart the “divisive and undemocratic policies” of the BJP.
The BJP government at the Centre was acting against the interests of SCs, STs, BCs, minorities, farmers and all other sections, and there is a need to fight till the BJP government is ousted, they opined. Both Rao and Tejashwi decided to chalk out an action plan shortly to dislodge the BJP government.
Tejashwi also opined that all the democratic and secular forces should join hands and intensify the fight against the BJP. Tejashwi enquired about the development works in Telangana, especially in the agriculture sector. He also requested Rao to take the lead in the fight against BJP and assured that RJD would take a deep dive into it.
‘Good omen in UP’
Both the TRS and RJD leaders also discussed the latest political developments in Uttar Pradesh and felt that a minister quitting the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh and several MLA leaving the party was the beginning of the downfall of the saffron party in that state. They termed NCP chief Shard Pawar’s support to SP leader Akhilesh Yadav in the UP Assembly elections as a good omen.