In a further step to strengthen the proposed Federal Front of Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekara Rao, his son and Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) working president K.T. Rama Rao met YSRCP president Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy to invite him to join the Front, which is being promoted as an alternative platform for non-BJP and non-Congress groups.
Mr. Rama Rao went to the residence of Mr. Reddy at Lotus Pond in Hyderabad and spent more than 90 minutes there with leaders from both the parties. Later, they spoke to the media and reaffirmed their intention to work together to give regional parties more of a voice with the Centre.
Though the meeting was touted as an anti–Chandrababu Naidu platform for the ensuing Assembly and Parliament elections in Andhra Pradesh, both the leaders were cautious not to name the Andhra Chief Minister or target him at any point. Mr. Reddy, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the A.P. Assembly, described the meeting as “one step at a time” when asked about the parties working together.
Mr. Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party contested the Telangana Assembly elections in association with the Congress, inviting the ire of Mr. Chandrashekara Rao, who promised to give him a “return gift” in the Andhra Pradesh elections. This meeting is now being seen as the first step towards that end.
Though neither Mr. Rama Rao and Mr. Reddy revealed the deliberations carried out in the meeting, they said it was the initiative of Mr. Chandrashekara Rao. Mr. Reddy said Mr. Chandrashekara Rao personally spoke to him and sought a meeting to discuss the Federal Front and Mr. Rama Rao had come with the proposal. They said Mr. Chandrashekara Rao would personally meet Mr. Reddy in Amaravati, the capital of Andhra Pradesh, soon to take the discussions forward.
Mr. Reddy said the Centre was not sensitive to the States’ issues and strong numbers from the States could remedy that. He said the 25 MPs and 17 MPs from Telangana together can be a strong force in demanding special status for Andhra Pradesh, which has been denied by the NDA government on the pretext that special status category doesn’t exist now.