KCR in catch 22 situation

​Hyderabad: With hectic political developments taking place at national level ever since he declared creation of a Federal Front, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is yet to give his nod to Finance Minister Eatala Rajender to attend the meeting of Finance Ministers of southern states called by the Kerala government on April 10.

While the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka Finance Ministers are ready to voice their concern at the meeting, the Telangana Chief Minister is ascertaining political consequences post the meeting.

KCR is discussing in depth the pros and cons if the Telangana minister attends the meeting for which an invitation has been extended by Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac. Following his announcement of floating a Third Front, an alternative to the BJP and the Congress at national level, the TRS chief is moving cautiously on this issue, official sources said.

Leaders said the Chief Minister was watching the developments taking place in Andhra Pradesh on the Special Status issue, and those in the election-bound Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, where film stars Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan have already declared formation of their own political outfits ahead of the 2019 general election.

Sources said that KCR felt the TDP which was ruling Andhra Pradesh and the Congress in Karnataka were arch rivals to him in his home state of Telangana. The ruling CPM in Kerala was also fighting against his government in Telangana. KCR has been distancing himself from the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu. The Telangana leader has been in touch with DMK leader Stalin on state-related issues. A TRS leader said KCR has been considering all these political equations and varying options on whether to attend the meeting of the southern FMs or skip.

“He wanted the meeting should not come as a hurdle to his efforts to bring together all the non-BJP and non-Congress parties and fit them into the Federal Front which he is keen about,” he said. In fact, the objective of the meeting was to expose Centre’s indifference towards southern states in allocating funds, which is similar to KCR’s fight for more funds and power to states. He has been demanding earmarking of more funds and powers to the states, but the catch here is that there are too many players that would be taking part in Kerala conference which might not be toeing his line of taking a stand against the BJP and the Congress.

The southern states are objecting to the 15th Finance Commission's proposal to use 2011 census as the basis to allocate Union tax revenues. The state government had argued that they have implemented family planning measures from 1971 onwards and as a result population of these states has come down since 1971. So the quantum of devolution of funds to the states will be affected if 2011 census is taken as the basis, the TRS leader pointed out.