TRS to skip Opposition meet today, says it 'doesn't want to share dais with Congress'

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], June 15 : The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) party Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, who had bonded with Mamata Banerjee over their common goal of defeating the BJP, opted out of the Opposition meeting this morning, raising strong objections to the Congress being invited.
"The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) will not be attending the Opposition party leaders' meeting going to be held in New Delhi, called by Mamata Banerjee to frame a joint strategy for the Presidential polls," informed Krishank, TRS leader and Telangana State Mineral Development Corporation (TSMDC) Chairman.
Sources close to the Chief Minister's Office told ANI, "It is very likely that Chief Minister KCR has decided not to send his representative also to today's opposition meet called by Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee in Delhi."
"Earlier, it was decided that TRS will send a representative to today's meeting as KCR will be busy owing to prior commitments," sources said.
One of the TRS leaders told ANI on anonymity, that TRS doesn't want to share the dais with the Congress party.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has on Wednesday called a meeting to forge a consensus for fielding a joint candidate against the NDA in the Presidential election. Aam Aadmi Party has decided to skip the meeting, sources said today.
"Aam Aadmi Party will not participate in the meeting of Opposition parties to be held today regarding the Presidential Elections. AAP will consider the matter only after the Presidential candidate is declared," sources said on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Banerjee met Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar at his residence in Mumbai separately to try and convince him to be the common opposition candidate for the top constitutional post. Pawar, however, has turned down the proposal, sources in the Opposition camp said.
The West Bengal Chief Minister is in the national capital for the meeting aimed to explore the possibility of formulating a common strategy with other opposition parties for the Presidential polls.
Several opposition leaders will take part in the meeting called on Wednesday by Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee to discuss Presidential polls to put up a united fight against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance.
The Presidential elections will take place on July 18 and the results will be declared on July 21.