Telangana CM K Chandrashekhar Rao leaves for Tamil Nadu, to meet counterpart MK Stalin

Rao's meeting with Stalin assumes significance amid Telangana's row with the NDA government on paddy procurement

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, who has taken a strident anti-BJP stance recently, will meet his Tamil Nadu counterpart MK Stalin at the latter’s residence on Tuesday. The political situation in the country is likely to come up for discussion during the meeting on Tuesday, sources said.

Rao, who is in Tamil Nadu with his family to offer prayers at Sri Ranganatha Swamy Temple in Srirangam near Tiruchirappalli, will meet Stalin for the first time after the DMK stormed to power in May this year. Rao had met Stalin twice – in 2018 and 2019 – as part of his efforts to form an anti-BJP, anti-Congress front but the DMK maintained arm’s length distance from such initiatives citing its alliance with the Congress.

Rao’s TRS, which has now taken a strident anti-BJP stance, attended meetings of opposition leaders called by the Congress in Parliament during the Winter Session.

After assuming office as Chief Minister, Stalin reached out to Rao seeking his support over NEET for admissions into medical and dental colleges. “It is a courtesy call. The two leaders have met in the past, and there is no room for any speculation. The meeting was sought from KCR’s side, and the appointment was granted immediately,” a senior DMK leader told DH.

KCR’s meeting with Stalin assumes significance in the wake of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee taking the lead in “uniting” the opposition parties ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Rao is likely to be accompanied by his son and Telangana Industries Minister KT Rama Rao, who had expressed interest in studying the party infrastructure of the DMK and AIADMK, the two regional parties that have ruled the state alternatively since 1967.

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