Karnataka and KCR’s Federal Front

TRS Chief KCR meeting with SP’s Akhilesh Yadav as part of garnering support for Federal Front - Sakshi Post

K Jayadev

The high octane drama of Karnataka ended after two-day Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa resigned ahead of the floor test in the assembly claiming that he was not able to muster up the required numbers to prove majority in the house. While the whole country was watching with awe the Karnataka soap opera with unexpected twists and turns, there was one person in Hyderabad who was keenly following the entire developments. It was none other Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao!

KCR was following the Karnataka drama not just because he had hoped for BJP's failure but also because the fate of this naional ambition has got a lot to do with it. KCR is eyeing national politics planning to lead it and wants to pool together all the regional parties to form a Federal Front which would be a non-Congress and non-BJP entity. Ambitious idea indeed!

From the very beginning, KCR had been working towards forming the Front. He started meeting various regional parties' leaders. From West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamul Congress Chief Mamata Banerjee, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha's Hemanth Shoren, DMK Chief Karunanidhi and his son MK Stalin, JD-Secular's HD Deve Gowda, Samajwadi Party Chief Akilesh Yadav and Biju Janta Dal's Naveen Patnaik.

All the seasoned leaders welcomed KCR's move and encouraged him to set up the Federal Front. Little did the TRS Chief realise that they encouraged him but the political equations will not play out that easily. Each party has its own agenda and priority. This was much clearer when DMK's Kanimozhi spilled out the beans. KCR after meeting DMK Chief Karunannidhi and Working President Stalin, also called upon Kanimozhi. Two days after the friendly-chat, Kanimozhi told the press that the DMK will never part ways with Congress. This is very much predictable.

Meanwhile we also need to understand KCR's statements over a period. He says Federal Front would be a National alternative. Next he says it is not meant for 2019 elections. Later in Chennai he says no front, no third or fourth or fifth front. The meeting with DMK was only to discuss state issues. So it is all utter confusion that KCR is trying to create in the minds of people.

In the meantime, Mamata Banerjee is also not keen on a Federal Front. She also thinks that to take on the BJP juggernaut the regional parties will have to collaborate with Congress and make it a bigger and stronger opposition. While all these contradictory moves seem to be stalling the progress of Federal Front, there is a serious accusation from many political critics that KCR was targeting Congress through his Front and was indirectly supporting the BJP. The pattern of his meetings also confirms this. He has been targeting only the regional parties who were close to the Congress. Look like KCR wants to break these alliances thus making way for BJP in 2019, say the critics.

But the big blow to KCR would be the Karnataka election results. KCR had always wished JD-S to play a significant role in building the government. But it turned out that JD-S had to depend on Congress for its government formation. This is against the theory of KCR. Now will KCR be happy that JD-S, a regional party had formed the government in Karnataka? After all, the very fabric of Federal Front is to be non-Congress and non-BJP.

It looks like KCR's Federal Front will take a back seat for the time being since major parties like TMC, DMK and JD-S have virtually walked out. The Karnataka effect seems to have hit the TRS Chief in a different way!

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