Political heat: Anti-BJP parties to meet on Nov 22 in Delhi

Stepping up his efforts to float a non-BJP platform at the national level, Telugu Desam supremo and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who had already met leaders of various regional and national parties over the past few weeks, said the first meeting of all like-minded parties will be held in Delhi tentatively on November 22 to discuss and chalk out the future course of action.Ahead of the meeting, Naidu will meet his West Bengal counterpart and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee either on November 19 or 20. 

“I have already met several leaders of national and regional parties and the last one to meet will be Mamata Banerjee ahead of the crucial November 22 meeting,” Naidu flanked by AICC general secretary Ashok Gehlot, told reporters here on Saturday evening.

The proposed meeting in Delhi will be a platform for all the political parties opposing the BJP to come together, he said, adding that they will chalk out a strategy to take the initiative forward after discussing all the issues.

“When the nation, democracy and Constitutional agencies are facing threat due to the attitude of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, being a responsible leader I took the initiative to unite all the non-BJP parties with the ultimate motto of saving the nation and democracy for the future generations. I am confident that all responsible political parties and leaders will come together for a broader cause shunning all the differences,’’ he asserted.

Naidu made it clear that the TDP joined hands with the Congress due to democratic compulsion and not as a political compulsion.Explaining how the Modi government had “misused” institutions like Income Tax, CBI,  ED and other agencies for targeting the political opponents, he said demonetisation proved to be a futile exercise as it only caused hardships to people.

Responding to a question on whether they (Naidu and Gehlot) have evolved strategies for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh elections, Naidu denied the same and said, “Our agenda is a broader one. It is a national agenda.’’ 

The TDP supremo went on to add that there are some parties which are not coalition partners of the UPA, but they are against the BJP.“Our agenda is to create a broader organisation (of non-BJP parties),’’ he said. Asked whether he will invite MIM into the proposed platform against the BJP, the TDP supremo replied, “It is the MIM which has to decide on the issue. There are only two platforms now. One is BJP and the other anti-BJP. It is for the MIM to decide, which side it will be.’’

Speaking on the occasion, Ashok Gehlot alleged that no section of people, be it youth, farmers or small traders, is happy in the four-and-a-half years BJP-led NDA regime. Referring to demonetisation, he said that there was no truth in the claim of the BJP that it was aimed at combating extremism and terrorism, as the whole exercise was a miserable failure. “The Centre has been destroying all institutions like Income Tax, CBI and others.

For the first time after Independence, the nation is experiencing an undeclared emergency like situation,’’ he said, adding that Congress and TDP had come together to save the country. “AICC chief Rahul Gandhi asked me to meet Naidu and take forward the ‘Save Democracy-Save Nation’ agenda. Both the leaders are committed to the agenda,’’ he said.