Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao eyes electoral pie beyond Telangana, to launch national party

Ending speculations, Telangana Rashtra Samithi President and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Sunday said he would launch a national party following more discussions with a cross-section of society.

Seeking to provide a national alternative to the dominant BJP and the Congress party, that is attempting at a bounce back, the TRS said it would reach a consensus on "alternative national agenda," by continuing discussions with various stakeholders.

Rao made it clear that the launch of the party and formulation of policies would follow extended discussions with intellectuals, economists and experts from various fields.

Earlier in the day, former Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy called on Rao and discussions were on the contours of the proposed outfit.

The move takes forward Rao's "BJP-mukt Bharat", (BJP-free India) pitch and follows deliberations with several leaders belonging to parties other than the BJP and Congress.

An official release from Rao's office said that discussions preceded with a cross-section of society similar to initiatives ahead of the launch of the movement to seek a separate state of Telangana and such deliberations would continue.

"Very soon, the formation of a national party and formulation of its policies will take place," the release said.

'Bharat Rashtriya Samiti' (BRS), 'Ujwal Bharat Party' and 'Naya Bharat Party' were among the names that reportedly cropped up recently in the TRS circles for the proposed national outfit. However, there was no official confirmation.

Rao, who has been blaming the saffron party's government at the Centre for the "ills" plaguing the country, has been batting for a vibrant role for Telangana in national politics.

The BJP in Telangana has been working aggressively to take on the ruling TRS and the saffron party emerged as a force to reckon with in Hyderabad municipal polls. It also managed to win in two bypolls (including Huzurabad) while the TRS won in the other two. BJP leaders have also been touring Telangana vigorously.

The TRS, in its Foundation Day event in April this year, adopted a resolution that the party should play "the key role in national politics" in the wider interest of the country as the BJP is exploiting "communal sentiments" for its political convenience.

Rao has in recent past met several non-BJP and non-Congress opposition leaders, including Nitish Kumar, Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray and Hemant Soren. During such discussions, topics like BJP's alleged anti-people policies and bringing about a "qualitative change in the country" came up.

Recently the presidents of TRS district units called upon Rao, also known as KCR, nudging him to take a plunge into national politics to put an end to BJP's "anti-people rule" at the Centre.

Kumaraswamy and Rao discussed the development of Telangana, the role of regional parties in national politics, the key role that KCR should play in national politics in the present situation and other national political issues, the release said.