New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu said they have agreed in principle to work together and let their past be while addressing media following a meeting at 10 Tughlaq lane in New Delhi.
The meeting came hot on the heels of Naidu making a show of strength alongside senior leaders Sharad Pawar and Farooq Abdullah where the NCP and NC patrons were both deferential to the TDP supremo and spoke of him holding meetings with various regional leaders before a formal common minimum programme to ‘save the Nation and save democracy’ was finalised. Naidu’s sequence of interactions appears to have paid off, as in the news briefing with Rahul Gandhi too, similar points were made.
“We have to save the nation and democracy. It is a democratic compulsion to join and protect the country,” Naidu said, speaking first. He added, “we want to organise everybody who is opposing the BJP”, before confirming, “In principle, we agree that it is the democratic compulsion of the country. We are joining hands together. We want to organise everything together.”
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Naidu continued by offering an operational roadmap, “In 40 years I have never seen such a situation where the Supreme Court, the CBI and the RBI are being destroyed at the same time. We will have one meeting of opposition parties to chalk out a strategy for the country. We are interested in the Nation, to save the Nation and to save the democracy.”
Rahul Gandhi spoke next, starting off by declaring that they had good meeting, and had decided to look beyond their fracuous past and concentrate on the future:
“We had a good meeting. We have to defend the democracy of this country. We will not look into the past and are going to talk about the future.”
Rahul Gandhi also confirmed, “We are going to work together, all opposition forces are going to work together. It is critical now that we work together. We have to be together to save the Nation.”
The Congress president continued, “All of us will come together to defeat BJP, you will get the details at the right time.”
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He also spoke on the Rafale deal in which he has ‘aggressively’ claimed corruption, saying, “Corruption has taken place within Rafale deal. If there is a proper inquiry it will become who is to be held accountable. Our main aim is to defend democracy”
The TDP and the Congress have formed an alliance for the upcoming Telangana elections, with Naidu’s party as the smaller partner. The two leaders have historically been on opposite sides, with Naidu being a NDA constituent for two decades before withdrawing earlier this year on the special category status for Andhra Pradesh issue.