TDP chief, Kalyan meet sparks buzz of new tie up
On Tuesday, Naidu met Kalyan and his party colleagues Naga Babu and Nadendla Manohar for over an hour at the Novotel Hotel in Vijayawada.
A meeting between Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu and actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan in Vijayawada on Tuesday set off speculation about a potential realignment of political forces in Andhra Pradesh in the run up to the 2024 assembly elections.
Naidu’s meeting came a day after Kalyan, who heads the Jana Sena Party, returned from Visakhapatnam where he was reportedly confined to his hotel for nearly 40 hours by police preventing him from meeting party workers or addressing any rallies.
On Tuesday, Naidu met Kalyan and his party colleagues Naga Babu and Nadendla Manohar for over an hour at the Novotel Hotel in Vijayawada.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Naidu said he met Kalyan to express solidarity over incident in Visakhapatnam and to condemn the recent arrests of the Jana Sena Party workers — on charges of assaulting ministers of the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) led by chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.
“It was a spontaneous meeting. We have also decided that it is time we put up a joint fight against the Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy government in the state which is targeting Opposition parties and stifling the voices of the political rivals,” Naidu said.
However, he added that there was no hurry to talk about political alliances.
“The immediate task before us is to bring all like-minded forces together to put up a strong fight against the Jagan government,” he said, adding that if necessary, he would meet Kalyan again.
In turn, Kalyan thanked Naidu for expressing solidarity with him and said the state’s politics would take a new turn soon. His comments could also indicate a shift in his party’s alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). So far, both parties have adopted independent strategies against the YSRCP government.
Kalyan spoke to reporters about the alliance before his meeting with Naidu.
Saying that he felt something was wrong with the alliance, Kalyan said: “I know it and even the BJP leadership knows it.” In June, he had asked the BJP for a roadmap to contest the 2024 assembly elections without splitting the anti-incumbency vote. Speaking about the issue, Kalyan said on Wednesday: “I am now running short of time and I have to make a decision. I have to change my strategies to save the people from rowdy elements ruling the state,” he said.
Adding that he respected the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he added: “That doesn’t mean I have to be subservient to them.”
Speaking about the Naidu-Kalyan meet, a senior BJP leader privy to developments told HT that state unit chief Somu Veerraju briefed the central leadership over the phone and was asked to maintain cordial relations with Kalyan. “Party leaders asked Veerraju not to make any hurried comments but maintain a friendly relationship with Pawan Kalyan. The party’s national leadership wants the alliance with the Jana Sena Party to continue,” the leader said.
Meanwhile, YSR Congress party said the meeting between Naidu and Kalyan clearly established the “unholy nexus” between the two. “All these days it was happening behind the curtain and now, it has come out in the open,” state industries minister Gudivada Amarnath said.
Education minister Botsa Satyanarayana sai Kalyan had no political philosophy of his own. “He sold out to Naidu long ago. It has been proved now,” he added.
