TRS chief KCR meets Patnaik for Federal Front talks, meeting with Mamata next

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday met his Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneswar where the two regional satraps discussed a Federal Front to provide an alternative to the Congress and the BJP ahead of the 2019 general elections.

Fresh from a landslide victory in his state, KCR will next meet West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The meeting between the two is scheduled in Kolkata for today. 

After his meeting with Patnaik, who is also the president of Biju Janata Dal (BJD), KCR said there was a dire need for unification of regional parties to provide an alternative to the Congress and the BJP. 

"I can say certainly that there is a dire need for unification of regional parties in the country," the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) chief told reporters after meeting Patnaik.

"We strongly believe that there has to be an alternative to Congress and BJP," KCR added. 

Both the chief ministers had a detailed discussion on national issues including the need for better friendship among the regional parties. 

"This is just the beginning of a dialogue... We will meet again and discuss how to take things forward," Rao said. 

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi goes to Hyderabad and says the TRS is the "B team" of the Congress, its president Rahul Gandhi claim that the TRS president is the "B team" of the BJP, Rao said, adding, "Let me tell you, we are our own team." 

After an impressive victory of the TRS in the state assembly poll, Rao has embarked on a journey to bring together anti-Congress and anti-BJP parties for next year's Lok Sabha polls. Rao is on a four-day tour to meet various leaders to garner support for his proposed non-BJP and non-Congress 'Federal Front' ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. His party, the TRS, has hired a special aircraft for a period of one month for Rao's trips to various places.

After visiting Kalimata Temple in Kolkata, he will leave for New Delhi in the night. From December 25, for two to three days, Rao will be in the national capital. Rao will also meet former Uttar Pradesh Chief Ministers Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav.

He is also expected to make a courtesy call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his stay in New Delhi.

During his Delhi trip, Rao is scheduled to meet Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and Union ministers, with whom he will discuss issues related to the state. 

Senior Congress leader and the party in-charge for Telangana, Ramachandra Khuntia, alleged that Rao's meeting with Patnaik is part of a game plan to weaken the proposed "Mahagathbandhan" (grand alliance) among non-BJP parties.

The Telangana CM has been acting at the behest of the saffron party and the NDA to dilute efforts of like-minded, non-BJP parties for formation of a grand alliance before the general elections, Khuntia claimed.

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said Rao's visit will have no impact on the BJP's electoral prospects as "zero added to zero will have no value". 

(With PTI inputs)