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In an effort to stitch a third front to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2024 general election, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao met his Maharashtra counterpart and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar on Sunday, 20 February, in Mumbai.
Visuals showed Thackeray seated in the garden with Rao, along with Thackeray’s younger son Tejas. A video clip with Thackeray greeting the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leaders is also doing the rounds on social media.
Posters welcoming the Telangana Chief Minister have also been put up at various places in Mumbai.
Later on Sunday evening, 20 February, Rao also met Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar at the latter's Silver Oaks residence in Mumbai.
After the meeting, Rao stated, "This country needs to be run properly with a new agenda, new vision... I discussed the same with Sharad Pawar Ji. He is an experienced leader, has given me his blessings, and we will work together. Soon, a meeting with other like-minded parties will be held."
After his meeting, Rao said, "You will get to see a good result of our meeting very soon. I invite Uddhav Ji to come to Telangana."
Further, Rao added, "We have done an elaborate discussion on improving and expediting developmental issues and bringing structural and policy changes in the country. We've agreed on all the issues," news agency ANI reported.
"Both (KCR and Uddhav) are brothers because our states share 1,000 km of the border. With the cooperation of the Maharashtra government, we built the Kaleshwaram project, which has benefited Telangana," he added.
Rao's office said that Thackeray had pointed out that Rao has "raised his voice at the right time to protect the nation from divisive forces". Further, Thackeray had invited Rao to Mumbai last week, announcing "complete support" to his "fight" against the BJP's "anti-people policies".
Rao was accompanied by his daughter and Member of Legislative Council K Kavitha and party MPs J Santosh Kumar, Ranjith Reddy, and BB Patil.
Rao has consistently targeted the BJP-led government at the centre of violating India’s cooperative federalism.
The Telangana Chief Minister has also said there is a need for a debate on a new Constitution to safeguard the jurisdiction and powers of the states.
Rao also plans to meet Janata Dal (Secular) president and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda in Bengaluru, NDTV reported.
He has also been targeting Prime Minister Modi over several issues.
"If it is election time, he has to grow a beard and appear like Rabindranath Tagore. Arrey baap re. If it is Tamil Nadu, he must wear a lungi, what is this?...What does the country get with these kinds of gimmicks? If it is the Punjab election, he will wear a pagdi (turban). In Manipur, it will be a Manipuri cap, in Uttarakhand, it will be another topi (cap), how many caps like this? (sic)" he was quoted as saying.
(With inputs from NDTV.)
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Published: 20 Feb 2022,05:54 PM IST