After AIMIM’s chief Asaduddin Owaisi welcomed Telangana CM K Chandrashekhar Rao’s idea of the ‘Third Front’, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee telephoned KCR and pledged her support to him.

Banerjee telephoned her Telangana counterpart KCR to extend her support to his plan to cobble up a ‘Third Front’ as an alternative to both the BJP and the Congress.

According to media reports, the West Bengal Chief Minister Banerjee agreed with KCR that there is a necessity for “qualitative change in the country’s politics”.

According to the Chief Minister’s Office, Mamata told him that she fully agrees with him and is ready to work with him.

“Ham aap se ek mat hain. Aap ke saath rahengey” (I am in agreement with you. I will work with you),” the CMO quoted her as saying.

On the KCR’s call for ‘Third Front’, Owaisi on Sunday said that regional parties will be key to government formation after the next parliamentary polls and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao will play an important role in that.

“I am of the opinion that Chandrashekar Rao will play an important role before and after Parliament elections. I am of the opinion that the country is looking towards regional parties. The country is looking towards those parties which are against the BJP and the Congress,” he said.

On Saturday, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said he was keen to participate in the national politics to bring about a “change”, and was in talks with others to form a platform of like-minded parties.

While addressing a press conference, Roa had said “There is need for qualitative change in the national politics….There is a serious need. People are vexed now. No qualitative change is seen by people even after 70 years of democracy….China developed in less than three decades. What both Congress and BJP did all these years?”.

“People are looking for change. Can we expect something new to happen if Congress comes to power after BJP? It can be a third front or any front…Are we not part of the country? Discussions are going on. There is no secret about it,” he said, when asked if he was talking to other non-Congress, non-BJP leaders.

To a question, he said he would not mind leading the movement for the “change”. “Recently I met (CPM leader) Sitaram Yechury. He is my good friend. We spoke on a lot of issues,” he said.

When asked about the outline of the political change he wanted, Rao said, “For changing the mood of the people, (we are working on) what kind of tool is required, and that will emerge.”

The chief minister also said that TRS MPs will raise, in Parliament, pending state-related issues including the Muslim reservation bill and promises made under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill-2014.

(With agency inputs)