Federal Front push of TRS is against NDA

Hyderabad: Senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily on Wednesday said there was nothing wrong in TRS president and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's efforts to forge a federal front of regional parties and saw the move as being against the BJP-led NDA.

He also claimed that the Congress would get around 200 seats in the Lok Sabha elections, emerging as the leading party among the opposition. "Make State-by-State (poll) analysis and you will definitely come to conclusion that the NDA government will fall," the former Union Minister said, adding a conglomeration of opposition parties would form the government.

On some parties speculating about the possibility of a United Front-type of government of 1996-1998 with outside support from the Congress, Moily said, "There is no such thing now. It's too early and premature to say that".

"Among all members of the opposition, the Congress figure (tally of seats) would be the highest," the former Karnataka Chief Minister said. "Common enemy is (Narendra) Modi and NDA. That is why, they (regional parties) can't join NDA; there shall be a combination of opposition parties who will definitely form the coalition (government)," Moily said.

He defended the Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's decision not to stand against Modi in Varanasi, saying it was not necessary as contesting there would have confined her to that constituency. "But now her services are available, she is going everywhere (for campaigning), that has given us more advantage," Moily told PTI.

On whether the Congress would position its president Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Ministerial candidate, he said ultimately there should be unanimity among the opposition put together. "Congress as a largest party in Parliament, particularly more so among the opposition, we definitely have the advantage of leading the opposition front," Moily said. On KCR's push to forge a non-Congress, non-BJP federal front of regional parties, he said there was nothing wrong about that.

"That means he (KCR) is also against NDA. That is more than enough for us. That means to say there are no takers for the NDA, except Shiv Sena and some fringe parties like Ram Vilas Paswan's party," Moily said. The TRS had been pitching the idea of a non-Congress, non-BJP federal front of regional parties for several months now.

Asked if some of the regional parties who are not on board with UPA would be "friends" post-poll, he said, "Correct. It's always like that. There may be combination prior to elections, and combination, permutations after elections."

"This has happened even in 2004. For example, UDF is fighting against LDF in Kerala. So, there cannot be prior (pre-poll) understanding between these two parties. Even then, we joined together in 2004 in forming government," he said. Moily claimed that majority of regional parties would join the opposition combination to defeat the NDA. "Opposition will join together and form government", he said.