KCR’s anti-BJP front U-turn shows chinks in Opposition

The backing out of TRS supremo and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao from an anti-BJP coalition that he was trying to prop up has once again brought to the fore the fault lines in the Opposition ranks.

Rao's remarks at the plenary session of TRS in Hyderabad on Wednesday, came 16 days after he brought his ministers and MLAs to Delhi for a protest against the Narendra Modi government and four days after he met election strategist Prashant Kishor who "declined" an offer to join Congress after negotiations collapsed.

A section of Opposition leaders said they were not surprised by the turn of events and smell a “deal” aimed at derailing their plans to forge unity.

For the record, Rao did speak against the BJP at the session and TRS passed some resolutions warning the Modi-led BJP government at the Centre but Opposition leaders are now saying that they were expecting this u-turn but not this fast.

Also read: Why Prashant Kishor gave the Congress proposal a miss

However, Rao went on to add that he told Left leaders, who met him in Hyderabad in January and sought Opposition unity, that it was a “useless agenda” which he would not join. He also cited the National Front and “some other fronts with “no desired results” but said what is needed is an agenda.

The remarks were seen as Rao backing out from his own initiative to form a non-BJP, non-Congress regional front against the BJP and emerge as a national leader. Rao had earlier spoken or met with MK Stalin (DMK), Mamata Banerjee (Trinamool Congress), Uddhav Thackeray (Shiv Sena), Sharad Pawar (NCP) and Hemant Soren (JMM).

Asked how he views Rao’s remarks, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury told DH that only the TRS chief can explain what he meant and it was elementary that the Left always seeks change on the basis of policy matters and never on personality.

“As far as we are concerned this government has to go. Without removing this government, their policies won’t go,” he said. On whether Rao was playing the BJP game, he said it was up to him what he does.

CPI General Secretary D Raja said Rao had told them that all should fight together against the BJP, to which they agreed. “Now he says something else. He must explain. Maybe, it is political manoeuvring.”

Congress’ Telangana in-charge Manickam Tagore said that he was not surprised at all as Rao has maintained a good relationship with Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. “For the past eight years, he solidly stood with the BJP. Whenever big issues came up, he was there to help Modi and Shah. Like an ATM, he was their ‘Anytime Support’ machine.”

Sources said Rao had expressed concern over the growth and policies of the BJP during his interaction with senior CPI(M) and CPI leaders who met him separately in Hyderabad. The leaders were in Hyderabad for CPI(M) Central Committee meeting and CPI youth wing AIYF’s conference.

There have been concerns about Rao’s move from the beginning in Opposition circles though he has been making anti-BJP noises in the recent past. The leaders were of the view that the BJP winning a bypoll was a trigger for his anti-BJP stance.

Check out DH's latest videos