Uddhav to discuss anti-BJP opposition front with KCR tomorrow

Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray will host his Telangana counterpart K Chandrasekhar Rao at his official residence Varsha on Sunday afternoon

Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray will host his Telangana counterpart K Chandrasekhar Rao at his official residence Varsha on Sunday afternoon. Thackeray has already extended support to KCR in his efforts to forge an anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance at the national level ahead of the 2024 general elections.

Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray HT/File

On Wednesday, Thackeray called KCR and invited him to Mumbai. This came a day after the Shiv Sena launched an attack on the Union government and key BJP leaders in Maharashtra, alleging corruption and extortion bids by using Central investigating agencies.

The two leaders are expected to discuss the role of opposition parties in the fight against the BJP in 2024. Sena leaders, including Aaditya Thackeray and Sanjay Raut, are also expected to meet KCR. “The Telangana CM is expected to arrive at Varsha on Sunday afternoon. The two leaders will hold discussions over lunch,” a close aide to the CM said.

However, KCR is not scheduled to meet Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar. “So far, there is no plan to meet Pawar saheb, but he (KCR) is meeting Uddhav ji as part of the exercise to build an opposition front against the BJP,” an NCP minister said.

The chiefs of regional political parties are trying to cobble up a united front against the BJP. Earlier this week, Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin had a phone conversation with his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee, who sought a meeting of CMs of non-BJP ruled states. Stalin, in a tweet on February 13, extended his party DMK’s support and said the meeting of CMs could happen in Delhi. Following that, KCR said he would soon hold meetings with his Maharashtra and West Bengal counterparts.

Thackeray has batted for opposition unity on several occasions, including in the virtual meeting of 19 opposition leaders chaired by Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi in August 2021. Banerjee visited Mumbai in late November to rally the opposition leaders. Thackeray, who was in the hospital for a spine surgery at that time, deputed his son and Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray to meet Banerjee along with Raut.

However, the Sena, according to insiders, is treading cautiously in aligning with the abov- mentioned chief ministers and other regional political parties which may want a non-Congress opposition front. The Sena is heading a coalition government with the support of the NCP and the Congress in Maharashtra. On its part, the Sena through the efforts of Raut has supported the Congress leadership for forging a united front of opposition parties. Raut has ruled out Sena’s participation in any front minus the Congress and has called for a stronger United Progressive Alliance (UPA).

“Any political front without the Congress would only benefit the BJP. Senior leaders from the Congress, NCP and other parties have met in the last few months. Banerjee is not open to the UPA, but the revival of the UPA is a must, while who would lead it is a matter of another discussion,” a senior Sena leader said, requesting anonymity. He added that Thackeray will speak to KCR and understand his views on the exact role of opposition parties, keeping the state dynamic in mind.