Chandrababu Naidu busy meeting leaders

Hyderabad: AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday laid the ground for formation of a national coalition by talking to AICC chief Rahul Gandhi and leaders of anti-BJP regional parties at Delhi.

If Naidu’s meeting with Rahul Gandhi was the cynosure of all eyes, his meetings with others too were no less insignificant as without the participation of regional parties, the concept of national alliance would come a cropper.

Apart from reiterating his commitment to end the BJP rule while addressing a joint press conference with Rahul Gandhi, Naidu also shared his ideas with Uttar Pradesh former chief minister and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, Nationalist Congress party chief Sharad Pawar, Jammu and Kashmir former chief minister Farooq Abdulla, CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechuri and Rashtirya Lok Dal founder president Ajit Singh.

Abdulla, after the meeting with Naidu, said that they had discussed how the national institututions like the RBI had been undermined under the NDA rule. He said that they had tken stock of the disturbing trends in the country and shared their common concern for evolution of a formation that would take the BJP by its horns.

Sharad Pawar too expressed similar opinion that the country was going through a testing time and that there was a need for a force to challenge the BJP's hegemony. “This is the reason why we are moving forward with the slogan of ‘save the country and save democracy,” he said.  Naidu, speaking to Telugu media later, said that Telangana caretaker chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao should decide on whose side he should be. There are only two fronts, one led by the BJP and the other one which is taking birth now to end BJP’s rule. 

Naidu asked KCR what he had done for Telangana during the last four-and-a-half years. If people are happy now in Telangana it was because of the development works he had taken up when I was the chief minister of the combined state.