Refusing the spell out the political ideology of the so-called non-BJP, non-Congress ‘federal front’ — proposed by the Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao — his daughter and Lok Sabha MP K. Kavitha on Tuesday said the front will evolve around the core issues of the people.
Speaking at an interaction organised by the Indian Women’s Press Corps in Delhi, Ms Kavitha said, “When we set an agenda that focuses on core issues of the people, national parties will also be forced to follow this. Both the grand parties have not performed to the expectations of the people of the country.”
The Telangana Chief Minister has held meetings with Trinamul Congress leader Mamata Banerjee, working president of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhgam (DMK) M.K. Stalin, JD(S) leader Deve Gowda and Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav to garner support for the “federal front”.
Ms Kavitha stressed that her party believes in being equidistance from both the Congress and BJP. While not directly criticising the BJP government, she said the front did not see nationalism as “getting into the lives of people and telling them what to eat and what not to eat”.
“It is about the development of each state,” Ms. Kavitha said.
Her party has been accused of leaning towards the BJP and in Parliament it has have worked closely with the Narendra Modi government. The TRS MP however, said it was basic democratic decorum to have a cordial relation with government at the Centre.
She said despite have an unprecedented mandate, the Narendra Modi government had lost a brilliant opportunity. “There are demands such as linking MGNREGA to the agriculture sector. There are many other poll promises which they have not kept. I believe the BJP has lost a brilliant opportunity to change the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had the mandate which no other PM had,” she said.
TRS has not joined the consultations among State Finance Ministers on the allegedly “biased” Terms of Reference of the 15th Finance Commission. Six States have come together to raise the issue.
Defending her party’s stand, Ms. Kavitha she said, “The TRS doesn’t believe in North-South divide. We believe that the Union government should not tax a performing State and we have expressed our concerns to the Commission.”
