Over the past few days, Telangana Chief Minister and TRS Chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao has revived his idea of Federal Front and has been touring the South to get leaders of different regional parties to join his political idea. While his efforts have still not crystallised, there is information that the TRS Chief has been approached by the Congress to join the Grand Alliance or the Mahaghatbandhan. Â Â Â
While KCR has been non-committal about this, he believes that his idea of Federal Front could work as an alternative to the NDA in case the BJP falls short of a majority. The idea behind the Front was for KCR to bargain for a Deputy PM post at the Centre while handing over the reins of Telangana to his son K.T. Rama Rao. However, though initially he said the Federal Front could be a non-BJP, non-Congress Front of only regional parties, it is learnt that he is not completely rejecting the idea of joining the Congress.
Given that the Federal Front doesn’t have many takers, KCR may be forced to either be on BJP’s side or join the Congress-led Mahaghatbandhan. If KCR joins the Mahaghatbandhan, he may have to face his political rival party, Telugu Desam Party and its Chief N. Chandrababu Naidu. Given that Chandrababu has played a key role in bringing the anti-BJP parties together under the Mahaghatbandhan umbrella, his only aim that he claims now is to get Modi out of the PM chair. But, there is a possibility of the TRS and TDP staying in the Mahaghatbandhan if KCR gets his bargaining chip of Deputy PM accepted by the Grand Alliance.
With Chandrababu wanting Modi out and KCR seeking a Deputy PM post, both of which could be agreed upon, in such a case, the TRS could be happy being a part of Mahaghatbandhan with the Congress. What this could also mean for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana is the betterment of relations between the two Telugu states which have been sparring for the last 2 years. There is a possibility of Congress playing the role of a mediator between AP and Telangana and treating them equally by increasing harmony.
On the other hand, it will also benefit the Congress politically as the party that not only created Telangana and allowed for bifurcation, but also granted Special Status to AP and ensured that the relations between the two Telugu states remain cordial. Politically, it could also use this ploy to blame the BJP for making the relationship between AP and Telangana bitter and creating a vicious environment. So, will the Mahaghatbandhan sow seeds of harmony between the two Telugu states? We will have to wait for how this scenario plays out!
