Patna: In an attempt to consolidate the opposition, Telangana chief minister K.Chandrasekar Rao will meet chief minister Nitish Kumar and deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Wednesday in the state capital. Nitish who recently snapped ties with BJP and formed the government with RJD and six other constituents is seen as the potential Prime Ministerial candidate to challenge incumbent Narendra Modi in 2024.
The motive behind the meeting is to form a front that can take on PM Narendra Modi in the upcoming Lok Sabha poll. It is evident from the fact that Rao has earlier met chief ministers of other states including Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Tamil Nadu CM K M Stalin, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren and former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thakeray.
This would be the first meeting of chief minister Nitish Kumar with one of the most important opposition leaders after the formation of the Grand Alliance government in Bihar. In January 2022, Tejashwi met Rao in Hyderabad at Pragati Bhavan, the official residence of Telangana CM in the capacity of leader of opposition in Bihar legislative assembly.
Sources at the Bihar CM secretariat have already confirmed to ETV Bharat that Rao will be meeting Nitish and Tejashwi over lunch. Rao is likely to land at Patna airport before 11 am
“Rao would also be distributing the compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to the deceased family members who were martyred in Galwan valley. He will also give the cheque of Rs 5 lakh each to families of 12 migrant workers from Bihar who died in a fire accident in Bhoiguda in March this year,” an official posted at Bihar CM secretariat told ETV Bharat on the condition of anonymity.
Also read: KCR to visit Patna on Aug 31, meet Nitish, Tejashwi
Asked about any particular dish prepared for Rao, the official further said, “Yes, south Indian dishes will be served to Rao during the lunch apart from local dishes if he wishes to taste.” According to sources in the RJD, Rao will also be meeting RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi and Tejashwi's wife Rajshri Yadav at 10, Circular Road residence later in the day.
Sharing the political significance of Rao meeting Nitish, the political experts of Bihar opined that the meeting would add up to the acceptability of Nitish as a potential candidate to challenge PM Modi.
“KCR is the strong leader of the anti-BJP camp as well as of south India. The way, leaders like Lalu Yadav, Nitish Kumar, and Akhilesh Yadav are the strong leaders of the Hindi heartland, in the same way, KCR is one of the strongest leaders of the south among regional parties. Coming down from Telangana and meeting Nitish adds up to the acceptability of a potential leader who can challenge PM Modi in 2024,” writer of the famous book Gopalganj to Raisina and senior journalist Nalin Verma who has covered Nitish and Lalu for more than three decades told ETV Bharat.
He further said, “Except Mayawati, Nitish has acceptability among all the leaders of Hindi heartland and leaders like KCR in the south can further enhance the chances to unite opposition at a national level.”
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After snapping ties with the saffron party in Bihar, KCR was believed to be the first CM who had called Nitish and congratulated him for the bold decision. Nitish has categorically stated that he has been receiving calls from opposition leaders and he will make all possible attempts to unite the opposition. Without naming PM Narendra Modi, Bihar CM Nitish had even gone one step further claiming that the situation in 2024 would not be like 2014. His statement was a clear indication that he has chalked out the plan to stop the juggernaut of Modi in the next Lok Sabha poll.
Another Patna-based political expert Dr Sanjay Kumar said that the meeting of two chief ministers always has political significance and it should be seen as opposition unity ahead of the next general election.
“If you leave the BJP-ruled state, Nitish has acceptability among all the regional parties. Even KCR knows very well that if opposition needs to be made stronger then Nitish is the most important face of the opposition. I think KCR will ask Nitish to unite the opposition leaders of north India and he will take care of south India. Both leaders have common concerns of special category status to their respective states", said Dr Sanjay.
"At the time of formation of Telangana, KCR was promised to get special category status which he has not got so far. Similarly, Nitish has been demanding it for a long time. I think the meeting between KCR and Nitish would have a massive impact on national politics in days to come,” he further said.
Asked about KCR meeting Bihar CM, BJP spokesperson Nikhil Anand said, “The corrupt KCR regime of Telangana will be thrown out of power in the next assembly election to be replaced by BJP. The KCR family party is very popular for booty collection and looting huge public money. Now KCR is running to other states to find propaganda partners.”
RJD spokesperson Shakti Yadav on the other said, “In days to come BJP will make lots of hue and cry because many other opposition leaders will be visiting Bihar to meet Nitish Ji and Tejashwi. Just wait and watch how the people of this country will remove PM Modi in which the opposition and Bihar will play a pivotal role.”
