KCR meets Stalin for federal front, DMK leader asks him to support Congress

_{Chennai: Telangana Rashtra Samiti chief K Chandrashekhar Rao's bid to rope in DMK in his proposed alternative front appeared to be a non-starter with the Dravidian party chief M K Stalin urging the Telangana Chief Minister to extend TRS's support to the Congress.}

_{Continuing his efforts to bring together regional parties, Rao called on Stalin at his residence here and discussed with him his proposal for a federal front, DMK sources said.}

_{In the meeting that went beyond an hour, Stalin conveyed to Rao that his party was in a pre-poll alliance with the Congress and he had also pitched the name of Rahul Gandhi for the office of the prime minister.}

_{"Thalaivar (Stalin) urged Rao to extend Telangana Rashtra Samiti's support for a Congress-led government at the Centre," DMK sources told PTI.}

_{Rao, who had days ago called on his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan, exuded confidence in the deliberations that regional parties would emerge as a powerful force with a significant number of seats and neither the Congress, nor the BJP would have adequate numbers to form a government.}

_{In such an eventuality, the TRS chief told the DMK president that a government could be propped up by the regional parties with the support of "national parties," a reference perceived to include the Left parties as well.}

_{Possible "post poll scenarios" that may merge and how a federal front could help regional parties and "southern States," were put forth by Rao, sources added.}

_{To this,the DMK side,which was also represented by senior leaders Duraimurugan and T R Baalu, felt the situation was conducive only for a Congress-led government at the Centre.}

_{Also, the Dravidian party pointed out that toying with the idea for a regime steered by regional outfits at the Centre may not work in view of divergent state specific positions of some parties.}

_{The TRS is opposed to both Congress and Telugu Desam Party in Telangana. While Rao did not meet waiting reporters, DMK said the meeting was only a "courtesy," call.}

_{Rao had in April 2018 called on Stalin and then DMK chief M Karunanidhi here.}

_{Earlier in the day, he offered prayers at the ancient Sri Ranganathaswamy temple at Srirangam in Tiruchirappalli.}

_{On May 10 he visited the Sri Ramanathaswamy Temple in Rameswaram after going to Kanyakumari.}

_{Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K S Alagiri downplayed the meeting between the two leaders and asked journalists "why accord importance to the meeting...in India a third front is not possible and not practicable; State parties from Kasmir to Kanyakumari know this very well."}

_{BJP Tamil Nadu unit president Tamilisai Soundararajan wondered what was Stalin's "hesitation" in his meeting with Rao to assert that he only supported Rahul Gandhi.}

_{Taking a jibe at Stalin, she said the DMK top leader had faced a similar hesitation when he was in West Bengal to take part in a rally held by Mamata Banerjee.}

_{She alleged the DMK had a reputation of changing colours, adding there was no transparency.}