Deccan Chronicle

Naidu holds talks with Sonia, Rahul

■ TD chief briefs Cong leaders about talks with SP, BSP

- DC CORRESPOND­ENT

■ The aspiration­s of Mayawati and Mamata Banerjee are an open secret and Mr Naidu has a tough task ahead in bringing all these parties on to a single platform and building a consensus against the BJP.

Telugu Desam supremo and Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N. Chandrabab­u Naidu, who has been busy meeting leaders of several parties for the last two days in Delhi as part of building an alliance of Opposition parties against the NDA, on Sunday met Congress president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperso­n Sonia Gandhi.

The meeting assumed significan­ce in the midst of reports that Sonia Gandhi has invited all non-NDA political parties to a meeting on May 23.

There were reports that she wanted to invite TD’s opponent parties, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti and the YSR Congress party. Amid such reports Mr Naidu meeting Sonia Gandhi gained importance.

It is learnt that Mr Naidu briefed Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi about the meetings he had with Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Saturday in Lucknow.

The SP-BSP combo has not been supportive of the Congress and Mr Naidu has been playing a key role in bringing the varying forces on the same platform.

He also met Nationalis­t Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday.

The aspiration­s of Mayawati and Trinamul chief Mamata Banerjee are an open secret and Mr Naidu has a tough task ahead in bringing all these opposition parties on to a single platform and building a consensus against the BJP in the event of a hung parliament.

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