Renewing his aspirations for a prominent role in national politics and in view of the impending Presidential elections, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Saturday met Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal here as part of his hectic itinerary that also includes visits to Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Kolkata for meeting former Prime Minister HD Devegowda besides Galwan martyrs and famers.
The term of incumbent President Ram Nath Kovind ends on July and election is expected to be held next month. Sources said the fresh galvanisation seems to focus towards that.
Rao and Yadav had lunch and a long discussion for about two hours and later in the evening he met his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal. Both the CMs visited a mohalla clinic and a government school in Delhi's South Moti Bagh.
Rao, who reached Delhi on Friday, will over the next two weeks meet Opposition leaders and travel across the country. The TRS, which so far had been supporting the government, has belatedly joined the Opposition space after the BJP made deep political inroads in Telangana.
Rao is apparently clear about the formation of an anti-BJP front but without the Congress with the first litmus test being the presidential election. Almost six months ago, the TRS chief made his first move by talking to his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee and Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin followed by a meeting with Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray at a time when Banerjee had asserted that there was no existence of a Congress-led UPA.
Political experts, however, remarked that the non-BJP or non-Congress front may have difficulties to become a reality as besides KCR, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and Kejriwal after their big wins in assembly elections have been making attempts to position themselves on the national stage as well.
On Sunday, KCR will reach Chandigarh to distribute Rs 3 lakh to the family of each of the 600 farmers who lost their lives during the farmers’ agitation against the now-repealed Central agri laws.
Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will be present at the ceremony. On May 26, Rao will meet former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda in Bengaluru, and then will also visit Ralegan Siddhi in Maharashtra to meet activist Anna Hazare.
During the month end, KCR will visit West Bengal and Bihar to meet the families of the soldiers who died in the Galwan Valley clashes. He will extend assistance to those families, a release by the state government said. Sources, however, added that the Telangana CM could also line up meetings with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD leaders separately.