india

Updated: May 07, 2019 23:29 IST

A planned meeting between Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president MK Stalin as part of the former’s efforts to cobble together a non-BJP, non-Congress “Federal Front” has fallen into uncertainty .

The DMK is yet to confirm the meeting sought by Rao, better known as KCR, at Stalin’s Chennai residence on May 13, people with knowledge of the development said on condition of anonymity.

Apparently wary of offending the Congress, its alliance partner in Tamil Nadu, the DMK has decided to politely decline the TRS proposal, citing its preoccupation with upcoming by-elections in the state assembly, the people said on condition of anonymity.

“Thalapathy (general, as Stalin is known is busy with the campaign for the assembly bypolls, which is very crucial. The TRS has sought a date and it is yet to be confirmed,” one of the people said. Rao is on a mission to revive the

“Federal Front” and has been wooing the DMK to be a part of it. He met Stalin before the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections started on April 11 to discuss the proposal, which is also aimed at countering Andhra Pradesh chief minister and TDP leader N Chandrababu Naidu’s attempt to put together a grand alliance of

opposition parties.