CM KCR to skip Mamata's January 19 rally

Telangana state Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is likely to give a miss to the January 19 rally of Opposition parties proposed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata, as he does not want to share the stage with the Congress when he is working on the non-Congress non-BJP Federal Front.

With the Samajwadi Party-BSP tie-up in Uttar Pradesh leaving out the Congress and the statement of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik that the BJP would neither ally with the Congress or the BJP, the TRS leadership of the opinion that Mr Rao’s Federal Front idea is gaining traction. In such a situation it would be better



to skip the Opposition rally in which the Congress is a partner. 

Mr Rao had recently met Ms Banerjee as part of his renewed efforts towards forging a federal front of regional parties. While Mr Rao spoke to the media after their meeting in Kolkata on December 24, Ms Banerjee, reportedly, not in favour of excluding the Congress in the proposed alliance, did not offer comment.

When contacted, TRS MP B. Vinod Kumar said, “I do not know whether KCR got the invitation or not. I do not think KCR will attend when Rahul Gandhi is attending.”