KOLKATA: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP supremo Chandrababu Naidu on Monday met his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee, seeking to take the anti-BJP Federal Front to the next level. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Naidu asserted the Front would meet in Delhi in December, after the Assembly elections, to chalk out the course of action ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
The meeting was earlier slated for November 22 but postponed owing to the ongoing Assembly polls. “Being senior leaders, we have a responsibility to save the nation and its democracy... All major institutions including CBI, RBI, ED, Income Tax Department and CAG are under tremendous pressure from the government,” he said.
“Demonetisation has been a big farce … we have seen the Rupee devaluation, high unemployment, fuel price rise, slump in agricultural output and stagnancy in economy growth under this regime. Intolerance is on the rise and politicians are being threatened,” the Andhra Chief Minister added. Giving a message of opposition unity, Naidu added that the Front was in touch with Bahujan Samaj Party supremo and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati.
However, Naidu ducked the question about the face of the Federal Front, saying, “All of us are the faces of Federal Front. All of us are senior to Narendra Modi.”
Naidu confirmed that he would be present at the Federal Front rally in Kolkata on January 19.
Speaking on preventing the Central Bureau of Investigation entry into the state, he said it was the state government’s discretion to do that. Mamata Banerjee said, “We discussed several issues concerning the country. Except for a few, all other leaders of Federal Front confirmed their presence for the January 19 rally.”