KCR Meets Mamata, Says Third Front Before Elections

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao said that a strong and credible federal front as an alternative to the BJP and the Congress would come into being before the 2019 elections.

Speaking to the media at Kolkata after his hour-long meeting with Mamata Banerjee on Monday, the Telangana CM disclosed that he had had a fruitful discussion with the West Bengal CM in this regard, and was happy that a good beginning had been made for the formation of the front.

He reiterated that the proposed front was not being thought of to serve any personal political agenda, but to meet the aspirations and needs of the people of the country.

KCR said that Banerjee and he had discussed various issues confronting the people such as those of the farmers. The country was being ruled for the last 70 years either by the Congress or the BJP, and everyone knew what was happening, he said. The people were aspiring for a change, and for that there was the need for a strong federal front, he opined.

The Telangana CM pointed out that India had abundant natural resources and a strong youth force, and these needed to be fully utilized to make the states strong, which in turn would enable India to grow stronger. Unfortunately both the Congress and the BJP had failed in this regard, and India now needed a miracle to take place. That would be the formation of the Federal Front, he said.

"All like-minded leaders and parties are being consulted in this regard, and our programme and directions will be made known shortly," he said to a question about who would lead the proposed Front.

KCR, who visited Kolkata to kick off his efforts to play a greater role at the national level, was accompanied by TRS national general secretary K Keshava Rao, MPs Jitender Reddy and Kavitha, and his political advisor and other officials.

Banerjee, who was also present when KCR was interacting with the media, asserted that India would not be ruled by one party. There was a need for the states to be strong in a federal democracy, and only then the country would be strong, she said.

"Thus our aim is to build a strong federal political front to achieve this, to make India strong. I am in full support of KCR, and our efforts for the formation of a federal front will continue by holding discussions with all like-minded parties," she said.