Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will soon visit Andhra Pradesh to discuss his federal front initiative with YSR Congress chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. This was announced at a joint press conference held by Jagan and Telangana IT Minister KT Rama Rao at the former's Lotus Pond residence in Hyderabad on Wednesday afternoon.

Adding impetus to the efforts to form a non -BJP and Non-Congress federal front at the national level, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's emissaries KT Rama Rao, accompanied by his party MP Vinod Kumar and others, arrived at Lotus Pond around 12.30 pm and had a working lunch with Jagan, and other YSRC leaders including MPs Vijayasai Reddy, Mithun and YV Subba Reddy.

Later, addressing a press conference, KTR and Jagan termed their talks preliminary and said Chandrasekhar Rao will take forward the talks with YSRC in Andhra Pradesh in the near future.

"KCR has floated the federal front idea to fight against the indifferent attitude of the Centre towards States. He had met TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, DMK leader Stalin, Karnataka CM Kumaraswamy and others. As part of this exercise, he rang up Jagan on Tuesday and the YSRC chief invited us for talks," KT Rama Rao said, adding that the TRS was confident that all like-minded parties who believe in strengthening regional forces and States will come together.

 

Chipping in, Jagan explained that KTR had discussed with him the federal front objectives and how it could be a platform for all States to fight against the Centre. The YSRC chief disclosed that KCR had called him again this afternoon and expressed his desire to meet him in Andhra Pradesh to take the talks forward.

Jagan Mohan Reddy clarified that Wednesday's talks are preliminary in nature and the issue had to be discussed threadbare with his party leaders. However, he endorsed the idea of a federal front, pointing out that at the end of the day, States individually on their own cannot face the Centre due to their numerical weakness in Parliament and cited the denial of special category status to Andhra Pradesh as an example.

"AP has 25 MP seats and if we get the support of Telangana's 17 MPs, there is a chance of the State getting justice. Numerical strength of the States must increase if they are to get justice... only then will the Centre think twice.. We must appreciate KCR's effort to bring all States on to one platform," Jagan Mohan Reddy said.

On the special category status, KTR reiterated that the TRS is supportive of AP's demand. "TRS has already made its stand clear in Parliament and at other platforms. There is no second opinion on this. The promise given by the then PM must be kept," he stressed.

Meanwhile, the TDP and Left parties are already up in arms in Andhra Pradesh. The ruling TDP claimed talks between Jagan and KTR were yet another instance of the tacit understanding between the two.