K Chandrashekhar Rao meets PM Modi, discusses wide range of issues

New Delhi, Dec 26: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Wednesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the national capital.

He discussed a variety of issues with the prime minister, including release of funds for 10 backward districts, setting up of a separate high court for Telangana, Kendriya Vidyalayas in new district and an IIIT in Karimnagar district.

Chandrashekhar Rao, popularly known as KCR, has in the last few months emerged as a key leader, along with Mamata Banerjee, who is trying to galvanise the regional parties for a non-BJP non Congress front for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Today's meeting with Modi would be KCR's first with the Prime Minister since became Telangana Chief Minister for the second time after TRS' landslide win assembly elections.

This meeting comes days after KCR met his Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik on Sunday, and with West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday.

According to reports, KCR will be meeting BSP supremo Mayawati and former UP chief minister and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav later this week.

In November, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party president Chandrababu Naidu met Mamata Banerjee and the two leaders spoke about taking on the BJP in 2019. KCR and Naidu, despite not being on very good terms with each other, are together fighting against the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government. Last week, DMK President MK Stalin gave a ringing endorsement to Rahul Gandhi's candidature for prime ministership. Stalin showered Rahul Gandhi with praises, describing the Congress president as one leader who has the "ability to defeat the fascist BJP".

KCR, meanwhile, has kept distance from both Congress and the BJP. He has been critical of both Modi and Rahul Gandhi. In fact, KCR even called Rahul "bafoon" and "joker" days before Telangana went to polls. Congress had forged an alliance 'Mahakootami' with TDP and CPI to take on the TRS in Telangana polls but were unable to stop the KCR jaggurnaut.