Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) gave Mamata Bannerjee the cold shoulder by deciding to ignore the West Bengal Chief Minister’s invitation for a united opposition meeting in New Delhi.
The meeting, convened at Constitution Club in the national capital, was to build opposition consensus ahead of the Presidential election. Representatives from 17 parties attended the meeting on Wednesday, 15 June but not the TRS.
The buzz leading to the event was that KCR would send two representatives from the party to represent him at the opposition meeting. The names of former MP and Telangana state planning board chairperson B Vinod Kumar, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) parliamentary party leaders K Keshava Rao and Nama Nageswara Rao were doing the rounds as possible delegates from the TRS. But that wasn't to be.
KCR Miffed at Mamata
While party sources confirmed that KCR was planning to depute two senior leaders to represent the party, Mamata's meeting with NCP leader Sharad Pawar in Delhi seems to have ruffled KCR’s feathers.
The TRS Supremo is of the opinion that Mamata had already made her mind up even before the scheduled meeting of opposition leaders, raising questions on why a meeting was even being organised.
He decided to show his displeasure by boycotting the meeting, the sources added.
Apprehension About ‘Pro-congress’ Image
Another reason for the absence is said to be the participation of the Congress party in the meeting.
On 15 June, through a leak, TRS revealed to reporters that the party decided not to attend Mamata’s meet in the national capital and the reason mentioned was that the party did not want to share a common dais with the Congress.
TNM has learned from reliable sources that the TRS, which has been locking horns with PM Modi and the BJP on a daily basis, will also not vote for the NDA candidate. In all likelihood, the TRS will abstain from voting in the Presidential election slated for 18 July. The counting will be held on 21 July.
KCR and his trusted coterie of senior leaders were of the opinion that being part of an opposition meeting while the Congress is in attendance would send a wrong message.
Considering KCR is all set to take the national plunge by rebranding TRS as a national party, KCR felt attending the meeting with Congress would send confusing signals. Though not yet officially announced, it may be recalled that before he decided to launch his own national party, KCR had been advocating for a non-Congress, non-BJP front consisting of regional parties.
However, his idea did not find takers as most opposition parties were either already in an alliance with the Congress or were pro-Congress. According to party sources, KCR always reiterated that the Congress and the BJP are two sides of the same coin.
Clarity by Rahul on Ties Repels TRS
Indeed, the Congress party too had made it clear on many occasions that it doesn't see a potential ally in the TRS. On 6 May, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi while addressing a farmers deeksha meeting in Telangana’s Warangal categorically stated that the Congress will not form an alliance with the TRS in Telangana.
He also went on to warn that Congress leaders who propose an alliance with the TRS would be kicked out of the party, however big they may be.
"There will be a straight fight between the Congress and the TRS and we are going to defeat them,” said Rahul Gandhi. This clarity given by Rahul Gandhi was significant as it came in the backdrop of reports that the political strategist Prashant Kishor is likely to work with the Congress.
Kishor is already working with the TRS in Telangana and news about his likely association with the Congress gave fodder to the BJP to claim a TRS-Congress nexus. Following this categorical announcement, CM KCR was clear that he wanted to do nothing which the Congress was also a part of. TNM has learnt from sources that KCR brought up this statement of Rahul Gandhi in his meeting.
Meanwhile, Telangana Congress Working President T Jayaprakash Jagga Reddy has said that by abstaining from voting the TRS’s tacit understanding with the BJP would be exposed once again as it will indirectly help the NDA candidate. Telangana BJP spokesperson NV Subhash felt that the farce about a united opposition has once again fallen flat.
Speaking to TNM he said, “Like previous occasions, the so called ‘united opposition’ will never be able to come to consensus. With KCR planning a national leap by floating a national party, he may be afraid that his own partners may hijack his idea. Like his fate in the upcoming state elections, he knows the fate of the united opposition’s candidate in the presidential election. He has preferred to save his chair rather than ride a sinking boat.”
(Published in arrangement with The News Minute.)
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