Our Correspondent /Kolkata
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao today met his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee here and discussed the possibility of a third front minus Congress in a bid to challenge the BJP at centre.
KCR came over to the Mamata Banerjee’s office today and the two leaders held a lengthy discussion that lasted more than an hour.
Later, talking to media persons, Rao said today’s meeting had set the ball rolling for the “non-Congress, non-BJP front”. The front might be called ‘Federal Front’
Rao said the front was being set up since the people of the country wanted something like this. He said the agenda of the front would be quite different from what was being known to people all these years.
“It is not going to be a mere political front of some political parties. It is going to be a front of people. We fully understand that there is a great deal of need for a qualitative change in the country,” Rao said and added that they would offer a choice to people beyond the Congress and BJP.
KCR said that this meeting was just the beginning and added that there would be other leaders also when they would meet again and shed light on the front’s agenda.
When asked if the call for a ‘federal front’ amounted to saying no to Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee said, “Please do not put words in my mouth. Rahul elucidated his views yesterday. Like him, I am also entitled to express my views.”
On the issue of leadership of the front, Rao said there would be a collective leadership. However, he added that leader would emerge as the situation developed.
Banerjee, who is playing a key role in bringing about the front, has earlier spoken to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on the subject. She is also in touch with NCP leader Sharad Pawar and is expected to attend a meeting being held in Delhi next week in this connection.
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