A day after holding discussions with Bharatiya Janata Party national president J P Nadda in New Delhi, Telugu Desam Party president and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu gave clear indications that he is still lobbying to get back into the National Democratic Alliance.
Interacting with reporters in New Delhi on Tuesday, the TDP chief said his party would have alliances with the other parties, including Jana Sena Party, depending on the requirement and it would be decided well ahead of the next assembly elections in AP.
On his meeting with Nadda, he said nobody would know what he was discussing with the BJP internally.
“I have seen all angles in politics. My only interest is to rebuild Andhra Pradesh. It is possible only with the cooperation and assistance from the party in power at the Centre,” the TDP supremo said.
Naidu asserted that the TDP was a political party with nationalistic ideology.
“We have played a very key role in the national politics in the past and are ready to be part of the nation building. How we have do it, only time will decide,” he said.
He pointed out that the TDP had come out of the NDA only on the issue of special category status to Andhra Pradesh.
“Otherwise, we don’t have any serious differences with the Centre. I have made it clear several times in the past,” he clarified.
Ruling out the possibility of an alliance between the TDP and BJP in Telangana, Naidu said it was too late.
“In Andhra, we shall work out the possibility. We shall announce the TDP candidates in one go, as far as possible,” he said.
The TDP president, who had once made an attempt to build an anti-Modi front at the national level, dismissed the possibility of the opposition alliance I.N.D.I.A putting up a fight against Modi-led BJP.
“The opposition alliance has no leader who can match up to Modi. It is a positive signal for the BJP. I don’t want to comment on the leader who can lead the opposition, but no experienced leader in the country can criticise Modi,” he said.
The TDP chief said the Congress had no major presence in the South, except in Karnataka and Telangana.
“There is no possibility of the Congress emerging strong in other states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh,” he added.
