On a day when notices for no-confidence motion against the government could not be taken up in the Lok Sabha due to the din created by some of the parties, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao took a private flight to Kolkata to meet his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee and set in motion the process to explore ways to forge a non-BJP and non-Congress federal front before the Lok Sabha polls.

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Terming the development “beginning of the whole thing”, Rao told journalists after the meeting that the process for creation of a federal front has begun and he would now talk to like-minded parties.

“We are trying to bring in a real federal front. Today is the beginning of the federal front, the beginning of the whole thing. We had fruitful discussions about it. We will talk to all like-minded parties to create an alternative against the Congress and the BJP,” said Rao, after a two-hour meeting with Banerjee  at Nabanna, the state secretariat.

With TMC chief by his side, Rao said, “The country needs something good. It is in need of miracle. If the BJP goes and the Congress comes, will it do any miracles?” He underscored the need for an “alternative agenda and alternative political force” in the country.

Mamata, on the other hand, parried the question of not including Congress in the front and kept herself limited to saying, “There will be discussion with all like-minded parties.” When mediapersons persisted on the question, she said: “In a democracy situations emerge when there is a need for parties to come together... We don’t want a particular party to rule the nation and do whatever they like.”

When asked about who would lead the proposed front, Rao said it will have a collective leadership. Rao said the federal front will be a “people’s front”.

Banerjee said talks for a broad based front have just begun and there is no need for hurry. “Every political party has its own identity, its regional strength, its national strength, and there is a need for everyone to respect each other,” she said.

(with inputs from Agencies)