Chennai : In a rebuff to Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhara Rao’s Federal Front efforts, DMK president MK Stalin has politely declined giving time for him to call on him. News reports from Hyderabad had mentioned that KCR was scheduled to meet Stalin on May 13 as part of his efforts to bring the different regional party leaders to form a Federal Front that could provide a non-BJP and non-Congress government at the centre.

However, the rebuff of DMK leader, who has already declared AICC president Rahul Gandhi as his choice for the PM’s post and with whom the DMK has a strong alliance, is clear that the DMK leader was indifferent to the idea.

Stalin is said to have conveyed to the Telangana Chief Minister that he himself was busy with campaigning for bye-elections to four assembly seats, which are crucial. If the DMK wins bye-elections to all the 22 assembly constituencies, then there is a danger that the government will lose its majority on the floor of the house.

Although DMK sources are not committed to rejecting the idea of meeting KCR completely, they say that it was highly improbable that DMK would do business with KCR, who has been dubbed the B team of the BJP by several opposition party leaders.

It is being said that KCR, expected to do very well in Telangana, would support BJP in the post-poll scenario. And as such, the idea of a Federal Front may not eventually fructify, analysts said.

Although West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Orissa CM Naveen Patnaik may meet their Telangana counterpart, it would be interesting to see what they think of the idea.

After Mamata Banerjee’s recent outbursts against the central government and her big fight with the BJP and RSS on the ground in her state, she can hardly be expected to side with anyone who was seen remotely associated with the BJP. KCR has, for tactical reasons and in the interests of the state, maintained close relations with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.