Coming Together, To Defend India, Our Institutions and Democracy: Rahul Gandhi
Onkareshwar Pandey
New Delhi, Nov 01, 2018: In a bid to intensify the efforts to unite major opposition parties against Prime Minister Narendra Modi led ruling NDA Government in the centre, Andhra Pradesh chief minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu today met Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Delhi.
TDP Leader Naidu discussed about the possibility of Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-Congress alliance against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections. The two leaders discussed about forming an alliance for the December 7 Assembly elections in Telangana and also to form a grand alliance for the Lok Sabha polls next year.
Addressing a joint press conference after the meeting, Congress President Rahul Gandhi, announced that his party would work together with Naidu's TDP in order to "defend democracy and future of the country".
"We had a very good meeting and the gist of the meeting was that we have to defend the democracy in this country, we have to defend the institutions of this country and we have to defend the future of this country and So, We are coming together, we are going to work together and all opposition forces are going to work together to defend India, our Institutions and our Democracy. We have had a past as you mentioned, both of us agreed that we are not going to get into the past. We are going to talk about the present and we are going to talk about the future because it is critical for our country, because what is happening in the country, because of the situation in the country that all opposition forces get together and provide a vision to the country," the Congress president said.
Naidu on the other hand, said, "We are coming together to save the nation. We have to forget the past. Now, it is a democratic compulsion to unite. All opposition needs to be one."
Taking a dig at the BJP, Naidu said, "I have been into politics for over 40 years but have never seen such a government, the situation in the country demands coming together of all opposition parties."
The Congress and TDP rivalry is now in the past and what matters now is the present and the future, Gandhi added.
On a question that who will lead the Opposition, Shri Gandhi said- We have agreed that the principle idea here is to defeat the BJP and to defend democracy and the institutions of this country. All other ideas will be discussed later. Everybody is going to work together.
On further probe about leadership issue, Shri Gandhi said- “Your interest is sensationalism, right, you want sensation, but, we have to work together to deliver people’s aspirations and the future.
What I mean to say is that the principle challenge in front of all the opposition today is to work together, defend India’s institutions, defend Indian democracy, everything else is secondary. We are going to do what is the primary challenge.”
On Rafale issue, Shri Gandhi said, “it is very clear that corruption has taken place in Rafale. There is no doubt about it in anyone’s mind. Institutions that can investigate Rafale are being attacked and threatened. That is exactly what we are defending. If there is a proper inquiry in Rafale, it will become very clear, exactly what happened, where the money went and who did the corruption?
So, that is something that I am pushing very aggressively because I believe that the nation needs to know where the corruption in Rafale has taken place and that sentiment is shared by all opposition leaders.”
On another question related to pan-India alliances or state specific alliances, Shri Gandhi said- Look, again, we are going to work together to make sure that the BJP is defeated and the attack on our institutions, the attack on the democratic foundations is stopped and we are going to win.
On another question Shri Gandhi said-All this stuff, we will work out, and periodically we will inform you with all information you need.
Naidu has been meeting leaders of non-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies in view of the upcoming 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
He also met Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar and National Congress (NC) leader Farooq Abdullah to bring them on one common platform.