VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu called on his Karnataka counterpart HD Kumaraswamy at a hotel in the city on Friday and discussed bringing regional parties and those parties opposing the BJP-led NDA Government together to form an alternative at the Centre. During the meeting that lasted for about 40 minutes, both the Chief Ministers were learnt to have felt the need for forming an alternative platform by uniting regional parties, particularly in South India.
During a brief interaction with mediapersons after the meeting, Naidu terming his visit just a courtesy call, said that they held talks about uniting all the forces opposing the NDA.“En route to the airport for attending official programmes in Tirupati, I came here to meet Kumaraswamy. I will discuss the national politics with him in detail in the coming days,” Naidu said. The Karnataka Chief Minister said that their main focus is to defeat the BJP. “First, we will concentrate on uniting the regional parties against the NDA and later the Prime Ministerial candidate will be selected,” he said.
Stating that he met Naidu several times with regard to the coming Lok Sabha elections, he said, “We (TDP and JD (S)) are like brothers. We are eagerly waiting for elections. We will join hands with other regional parties. After the elections, all the leaders will sit and decide the Prime Ministerial candidate. To keep the BJP at bay, all the regional parties should come together.” When asked about the BJP leaders’ argument that Third Front at the national level is a myth, he said in fact the BJP itself is the myth.
Later, Kumaraswamy, along with his family members visited Kanaka Durga temple atop Indrakeeladri. Speaking after Darshan, he described Naidu as a visionary who succeeded in developing the State like Andhra Pradesh, which is not having a capital yet, post bifurcation.
Though reports emerged that Kumaraswamy was in the city for seeking alliance for his son Nikhil and visited the family of Bodepudi Siva Koteswara Rao, managing director of Profit Shoe Company, the latter denied it and said the Karnataka Chief Minister is his family friend. “As Kumaraswamy came to the city along with his family members, I invited him for lunch,” Koteswara Rao said.Apart from several State ministers, former MP Lagadapati Rajagopal also met the Karnataka Chief Minister in the hotel.