Chandrababu Naidu Meets Rahul Gandhi, Says Unity "Democratic Compulsion"

Putting behind decades of rivalry, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu met Congress chief Rahul Gandhi this afternoon to discuss the way forward for a broader, united opposition. Both said they had a common goal - beating the BJP in next year's general elections "to defend democracy and the institutions of the country". Under the circumstances, it was a "democratic compulsion" to unite, said Mr Naidu, who is already partnering the Congress for the coming assembly elections in Telangana.

Confirming that they were "coming together", Mr Gandhi said, "Everything else is secondary. We will do what is our primary challenge". The Telugu Desam Party chief was recently invited to join the UPA by senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily. Today, they agreed "in principle" to unite, Mr Naidu said.

The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, who split from the NDA in March, has taken over the role of a "facilitator" for a broader opposition unity. His meeting with Rahul Gandhi was only part of a packed day - the others he met include Sharad Pawar, Farooq Abdullah and Samajwadi patriarch Mulayam Singh.

At a press conference this evening, Mr Naidu said, "I am not a convener, but somebody has to take the initiative. As of today, parties are not together on national level".

"I am not aspiring for anything, just want to do my duty... We did not see such times even during Indira Gandhi," he added, in a reference to the 1975 Emergency.

This is Mr Naidu's second trip to Delhi in less than a week. Over the last weeks, he has reached out to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Dalit powerhouse Mayawati, Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and the Dravidian parties in Tamil Nadu.

After today's meeting, Mr Pawar said, "We are here today to welcome other opposition parties to come join us. Let us stand united against this government. What is happening in the CBI, the Enforcement Department and the Reserve Bank is for everyone to see."

For December's election In Telangana, Mr Naidu's Telugu Desam Party will contest 14 of the state's 119 seats, the Congress will get the lion's share of 95 and the rest will go to other friendly parties.

Mr Naidu's recent shift in policy - playing a key role in the opposition at the side of the Congress -- marks a complete turnaround. The TDP has traditionally been in the anti-Congress camp - both in the state and outside. In the late '90s, Mr Naidu contested state elections in alliance with the Left parties, in 1999 and 2004 and also in 2014, it was the BJP. In 2009, the TDP was with the Telangana Rashtra Samiti against the Congress.

State leaders indicate that the compulsion lies in politics closer home.

In face of anti-incumbency on one hand and a possible friendship between arch-rival Jagan Mohan Reddy and the BJP on the other, Mr Naidu needs friends. A partnership with the Congress can bring an incremental vote share and - his party hopes - help split the Reddy vote, which is often described as the strength of Jagan Mohan Reddy's YSR Congress.

Mr Naidu and Mr Gandhi both indicated that they have agreed to bury the past. "We are going to talk about present and future, because of what's happening in the country," Mr Gandhi said.