Hyderabad: The TRS on Tuesday said a federal front of regional parties proposed by its supremo and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is open to taking support from the Congress to form a government at the Centre, as long as they don’t ask for the driver’s seat.
Rao has been pursuing his idea of a federal front of non-Congress, non-BJP regional parties since last year, and TRS spokesman Abid Rasool Khan’s statement that his party is ready to do business with Rahul Gandhi-led outfit is seen as significant, ahead of the Lok Sabha poll results next week.
“KCR (as Rao is popularly known as) is very firm that the federal front should be in the driver’s seat and run the government,” Khan told PTI.
In case the front falls short of numbers to form the government, the option of the Congress supporting it from outside would be explored, he said.
“But, the government would be of the federal front and Congress will have to extend support from outside. We are very firm that regional parties should be in the driver’s seat. The prime minister’s post should go to one of the constituents of the federal front. The prime ministerial candidate will be a consensus candidate from among the constituents (of the federal front)”, Khan said.
“We are open to talk to them (Congress), and see whether they support us to form government. If they do, regional parties are not averse as long as they (Congress) don’t come into the driver’s seat”, he said.
However, the proposed federal front is not going to align in anyway with BJP, Khan said.
“We are averse to BJP. We do not want to have anything with BJP, neither to support them or take their support. Most of the constituents speaking with KCR are also of the same opinion that they will not have any truck with the BJP,” he said.
The TRS leader said KCR had taken up an outreach programme to regional parties based on the inputs that they are going to win substantial number of seats in the Lok Sabha elections.
He said parties such as the SP, BSP, YSRCP, DMK and TRS would do well in the elections, but the Congress would not cross the 100-seat mark.
If the Congress does not win 180-200 seats on its own, its allies like the DMK would see “no fun” in being with it and would come to the federal front, Khan said.
“JDS will have an upper hand in Karnataka. We have started speaking to Communist parties, expecting they will do well in Kerala and some other places,” he said.
Also read: KCR floats his ‘federal front’ again, is even willing to sail with Congress now
Congress should not bank on this back stabber
1. Whatever may the wish of ‘Federal Front’ leaders like TRS’s head and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandra Shekhar Rao it is obvious that M K Stalin, head of DMK, does not wish to be part of that Front. For same reason, Stalin has refused to entertain TDP boss and AP chief minister N Chandra Babu Naidu who wishes to form a ‘Third Front’. Both Naidu Rao aim bring all like-minded anti-BJP parties together, by forming the Federal Front. 2. Basic objective of the opposition parties’ Federal or Third Front, which would essentially be a post-poll arrangement of regional parties, would be, I suppose, to create an alliance of anti-BJP parties, which can make a claim to form government in Delhi. This is perfectly okay. However, question which needs to be answered is Congress party’s likely response to formation of alliance government, which can be with or without Congress party’s participation. 3. I think that though this kind of alliance may be acceptable to the Congress party, leaders of most regional parties would NOT be comfortable with Rahul Gandhi as PM. Is it not true that head of each party, Rao & Naidu included, has Prime Ministerial aspirations? 4. However, I do not think that the Federal or Third front govt. can be an alternative to NDA. My views in this regard are based on a few solid reasons: (a) the regional parties do not have a common minimum programme to deal with many national economic and political issues;(b) not one of them is having a leader with national, all India level image; (c) Since many heads of regional parties are having Prime Ministerial ambitions, these ambitions will definitely mar performance of the alliance government. 5. Therefore, it will be worth watching what happens after May 23.
Whatever may be the ultimate outcome of these experiments in alliances, ONE thing is very clear. NO ONE WANTS Rahul as PM. Congress can never abide by that, especially if it improves from 44 to even twice that. It will be the single largest opposition party. This will then be the short lived “Janata” government of 1977 all over again, THAT TOO, ONLY IF BJP fails to pass 272 ( alone or with allies). A tall order for the opposition.
Gentleman is trying to punch far, far above his weight. Was offered tender coconut water by Comrade Stalin to restore calm. 2. What is becoming clear, however, is that a self inflicted gash has deepened the North – South cleavage, which had begun to fade away. Our southern cousins realise that they are the equal of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, with a side order of Haryana. Do not be surprised if it is no longer just about Congress vs regional parties getting the PM’s post. Rotate it between North and South could become a legitimate demand. Push a majoritarian agenda, and expect all kinds of pushback. We have our language(s), diet, culture, even our gods look a little different from yours.