Regional parties will join federal front in event of hung verdict in Lok Sabha polls, says TRS leader

PTI, May 15, 2019, 5:22 PM IST

Hyderabad: The ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in Telangana hoped regional parties would jump on the bandwagon of the federal front proposed by party president and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao in the event of a hung verdict in the Lok Sabha elections.

DMK president MK Stalin’s reiteration of his party’s alliance with the Congress is not a setback to the efforts for a federal front, said TRS MLC Palla Rajeshwara Reddy.

“In case they (UPA and NDA) don’t get majority on their own, and if we (regional parties) are in a position, at that point of time, they (UPA or NDA) may support us,” he said. The Congress’ allies may influence the party to support the consortium of regional parties if such a situation arose, he claimed.

The senior TRS leader felt the Lok Sabha elections would throw up a hung verdict and said in that case parties like JD(S) and JD(U) may support the proposed federal front. “When the regional parties are together, two or three other people also may support us at that point of time. Maybe JD(S), JD(U) also,” Reddy said.

“We are, actually, in good position. Definitely, we will have our say. People will only come to us. Whether it is UPA or NDA. We will take a decision at that point of time,” he said. Rao met CPI(M) leader and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Stalin during the last week.

On Rao’s federal front idea, BJP leader and former MLC P Sudhakar Reddy said the mood of the nation is ‘phir ek bar, Modi sarkar’ (Modi government, once again). “BJP will get absolute majority. NDA allies would also cooperate,” he said.

Dismissing the efforts for a federal front, senior Congress leader and former MLA Marri Shashidhar Reddy said no government can be formed at the Centre without the participation of either the BJP or Congress.

“Non-BJP, non-Congress government is simply wishful thinking. It is not possible. We have seen it in the past,” Shashidhar Reddy, a former vice-chairman of National Disaster Management Authority, said.

There are no takers for Rao’s idea of non-Congress, non-BJP front as leaders like Mamata Banerjee and Stalin have made it clear that there cannot be a front without the Congress, Shashidhar Reddy said.

AICC spokesperson Sravan Dasoju asked why Rao has not met any of the NDA allies like Shiv Sena, Akali Dal or JD(U). “It conveys a message that he is trying to disintegrate UPA rather than integrate it as a federal front,” Dasoju said. The Congress would emerge as the single largest party, he claimed.