Andhra, Karnataka CMS discuss ‘grand alliance’ to take on NDA
HYDERABAD: Stepping up the efforts to build a “mahaghatbandhan” or grand alliance of all regional parties at the national level, Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday held talks with Janata Dal (S) leader and Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy in Vijayawada.
Kumaraswamy and his family were in Vijayawada to visit the Kanaka Durga temple. He was received by Andhra Pradesh ministers P Pulla Rao and D Umamaheshwar Rao, Krishna district collector Lakshmikantham and others at the airport.
Before visiting the temple, the Karnataka chief minister had a 40-minute discussion with Naidu at a hotel to discuss the ongoing exercise to build a grand alliance of regional parties. “We had an initial round of discussions on the modalities of an anti-bjp front to be formed at the national level. We want more regional parties to join this front. Our sole objective is to prevent the return of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for a second term at the Centre,” Naidu, an erstwhile ally of the NDA, told reporters after the meeting.
Naidu suggested that as a first step, efforts would be made to bring all regional parties in South India to join hands to prevent the growth of the BJP into the region. “We will continue our discus- sions in the coming days,” he said.
Kumaraswamy said JD (S) had been a friend of the TDP for a long time and that both share a common ideology. He said the exercise to bring all regional parties together had already begun and Friday’s meeting was a continuation of the efforts.
“We have a common goal of defeating the NDA. We are trying to bring as many regional parties as possible into our fold to build up a strong front,” he said.