Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao met with DMK leaders M Karunanidhi and MK Stalin in Chennai on Sunday.
It was reported earlier that KCR would be discussing with DMK leaders about the formation of Federal Front as an alternative to both, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress. The idea was proposed by him “trigger an earthquake in national politics” with Hyderabad at its “epicenter”.
At the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) plenary in Hyderabad on Friday, a resolution was passed towards this effect. The TRS chief declared that he will intensify the efforts to form the Front, and as part of this, would meet Stalin and Samajwadi Party President Akhlesh Yadav in coming days.
Stating that both BJP and Congress miserably failed to address people's problems during last 70 years, KCR added the Front would target speedy development and addressing the real issues of people.
In recent months, Leader of Opposition and DMK Working President MK Stalin has been increasingly vocal about the ‘injustice’ meted out to Tamil Nadu by the Central government over several key issues including NEET, the formation of the Cauvery Management Board and so on.
Earlier in March, Stalin wrote to the Chief Ministers of 10 states governed by non-BJP parties and called out the Terms of Reference of the Fifteenth Finance Commission. He pointed out that the Commission was penalizing states that had been effective in controlling their population.
KCR met at Karunanidhi at the latter’s Gopalapuram residence. KCR interacted with Karunanidhi for ten minutes, inquiring about his health and presented him with a book.
Addressing the media after their meeting, the leaders said they had discussed how to approach politics in the future.
On the key points that were discussed, MK Stalin said, "We spoke about how to save secularism, giving voice to states' self governance, adding education to state list and giving additional funds to states. We also spoke about the authoritarian nature of the central government. It was a healthy discussion. We will continue to talk."
Echoing similar sentiments, KCR said, "We, Mr Stalin and I, are very firm that India should remain a secular country. There is no secular alternative to that. Everybody should have a respectable place in the country."
KCR also denied that he was projecting Mamata Banerjee as the Prime Ministerial candidate of the third front.
TRS Ministers Etela Rajender and Harish Rao were also present along with MPs Keshava Rao and Vinod Kumar.
The Telangana CM then went to Stalin's residence, where they were joined for lunch by DMK leaders Duraimurugan, TR Baalu and A Raja.
