Non-Congress non-BJP third front: KCR meets Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata
Kolkata, Dec 24: As part of an effort to forge a non-Congress and non-BJP third front, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao met his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata on Monday.
KCR on Sunday met his Odisha counterpart and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneshwar.
According to reports, KCR will be meeting BSP supremo Mayawati and former UP chief minister and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav later this week.
No takers for Stalin's 'Rahul for PM' pitch; Is opposition a divided lot?
In the last few months, Banerjee has also travelled length and breadth of the country to form an alliance of regional party's for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
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".
Stalin stands ground, defends his 'Rahul Gandhi for PM' pitch
Rejecting Stalin's backing of Rahul Gandhi as the prime minister candidate, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the issue could be discussed after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
The BJP, on its part, is maintaining that the unity among opposition parties is "opportunistic" as they are hungry for power. The BJP predicted that the unity among its rivals won't last for long.