Hyderabad: If there is anyone who can stop the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2019 general elections, it will be regional parties, said Samajwadi Party (SP) president and former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday.
Yadav, who met Telangana chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao in Hyderabad, added that he is happy to work with Rao to bring “progressive” leaders together.
“In UP, the BJP lost the seat which a sitting chief minister had held. We had the support of the Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) and that was the start. It shows that people are already looking for alternatives,” said Yadav, addressing a press conference with Rao at the latter’s official residence after their meeting.
Rao, who categorically asked the media not to label his efforts to bring together regional parties as a third or fourth front, said that discussions (with other leaders) have just begun. “Yes, there is a need for political will also, but I request you to look beyond it, as there is an effort to gather the people of India together for qualitative change,” added the chief minister, who heads the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).
When asked by reporters about his plans for drawing more regional parties, Rao said an agenda will be revealed in the coming days. “We will have to get a lot more people together. In a month or two we will come forward with our agenda. It is not easy to prepare one for India so soon. This is a good beginning,” he said.
Both Rao and Yadav however did not comment on whether this new coalition of regional powers, if it comes together, will be open to working with the Congress. “Our goal is not to make someone prime minister, but to take India forward. Nobody is an untouchable here and can work with us,” said Rao.
Yadav, who arrived in Hyderabad on Wednesday, also said that there will be more meetings with Rao. Rao also added that he will meet more people in New Delhi in the coming days.
Rao had announced plans in March to forge a non-Congress, non-BJP platform, and had criticized both parties for “failing the people of India”.
His meeting with Yadav came just three days after he met Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) supremo M. Karunanidhi and his son M. K. Stalin in Chennai.
Prior to that, the Telangana chief minister held discussions with Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal chief ministert Mamata Banerjee, Chhattisgarh Janata Congress supremo Ajit Kumar Jogi and Janata Dal (Secular) president H.D. Deve Gowda.