TRS willing to do business with Cong to keep BJP out

Naveen S Garewal

Tribune News Service

Hyderabad, May 14

Softening his stand towards the Congress, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief K Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR) is now willing to do “business” with Rahul Gandhi but unwilling to provide the driver’s seat to the Congress.

The Telangana Chief Minister, who has been pushing for a non-BJP and non-Congress Federal Front, met DMK chief MK Stalin in Chennai yesterday where the latter is reported to have asked him to give up his antagonism towards the Congress.

Sources close to the TRS chief says he is hoping that between the TRS and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) in Telangana, DMK in Tamil Nadu, Janata Dal (S) in Karnataka and United Front and Left parties in Kerala would get over 70 seats, enough to be “the engine in a hung Parliament”.

TRS spokesperson Abid Rasool Khan has said KCR is open to taking support from the Congress to form a government at the Centre, as long as it doesn’t ask for the driver’s seat.

He said the SP, BSP, YSRCP, DMK and the TRS would do well in the elections, but the Congress would not cross the 100-seat mark. “Since the Congress is not expected to get a clear majority, just as the BJP, there is no question of it being in the lead to form the government”.

The TRS leader said unless the Congress won between 180-200 seats on its own, the Congress allies like the DMK would see “no reason” to stick with it as it was natural that they would join the Federal Front. “KCR has already held one round of talks with leaders of these parties and requested them to hold a meeting amongst themselves before making any commitment to the Congress”, he said.

Stalin, who has voiced his support for Rahul Gandhi to be the next prime minister, reiterated that his meeting with KCR was only “a courtesy meeting”.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi too believed that regional parties would play a key role in the formation of the next government at the Centre. “Till yesterday nobody knew the Federal Front. Today, they are recognising it as an alternative. This will be good for the country,” he said referring to KCR’s meetings with Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan and Stalin.