TRS not averse to go with Congress, if PM is regional

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, who is stitching a non-BJP, non-Congress Federal Front - a third alternative, is not averse of taking the help of Congress if the grand-old-party is ready to propose a leader from regional parties as Prime Minister.

The party has reportedly sent feelers to the grand old party that it will seek support from Congress, not BJP to form the government at the centre in case regional parties win 150 seats.

The hazy pictures that KCR was trying to draw become clearer after his recent visit to Tamilnadu where he met DMK head MK Stalin. Stalin made it clear to the TRS chief that he will be sticking with the Congress. Stalin sent his emissary to TDP supremo Nara Chandrababu Naidu to asking him not to spoil his sleep over the meeting with KCR.

KCR has so far met Patnaik, Mamata, Akhilesh, Kejriwal, Deve Gowda, and Pinarayi Ravi and sent his son and party working president K.Taraka Ramarao to invite YS Jaganmohan Reddy inviting them to join the third front.

Branded as the “B Team” of Narendra Modi KCR knows that the Federal Front needs to distance itself from the BJP. “We believe that regional parties will get 150 seats and will be forming as a single entity,” TRS general Secretary Pala Rajasekhar Reddy said.

The party spokesperson Rasool Khan was on record saying that the Federal Front will not hesitate taking Congress support in case it fell short of numbers in forming the government. The TRS assumes that Congress will not emerge as a key player on 23 May. “After that its Allies will desert Congress to join the Federal Front,” he says.

On the flip side, political analysts point out that the numbers that the TRS can offer are of no match with that of West Bengal and Odisha. For K. Chandrasekhar Rao who has prepared the ground to catapult into national politics, the arithmetic might not be of help. But the logic is that the national parties will fall short of the numbers and have to depend on the regional parties.

“In that case the “Caru, Saru and Sarkaru” will be a reality,” a TRS functionary says. TRS has fought the elections with the motto of playing a major role at the national level by winning 16 MP seats out of 17.