Telugu Desam Party chief and former Andhra Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu expressed regret over leaving the BJP-led NDA, according to local media reports. Addressing party workers during his two-day visit to Visakhapatnam for strengthening the party in the region, Naidu reportedly said that the party had clashed with the Centre for the people of Andhra, which led TDP’s loss in the recent elections. 

 

According to Andhrajyothy, Naidu said, “Only for the benefit of the state we differed with the Centre. But because of that, the TDP is at a loss now, while there were no gains for the state. Things would have been different if we had not created those differences. We need to ensure that we do not make such mistakes in the future.”

 

The reports have led to speculation over the possibility of the TDP undoing its past actions, which Naidu now seems to regret. 

 

A video clip from a party meeting in Visakhapatnam shows Naidu talking about plans for the party. “I had tried hard for benefits to the state, not for personal benefits. What rivalry is there between me and Modi? For the people of Andhra, I differed. That was it. We will analyse every factor. It’s a continuous process. Based on this we will create an action plan for the future,” Naidu said. 

 

 

In March last year, the TDP government, which was in alliance with the NDA, exited the coalition over Special Category Status not being granted to the state and other promises made at the time of bifurcation not being fulfilled. After the TDP’s exit, Naidu had claimed that his party had an ideological difference with the BJP from the beginning, but had adjusted politically. Naidu had even said that anybody as Prime Minister would be better than Narendra Modi, blaming him for economic stagnation and social unrest in the country. 

 

Although the BJP had fared very poorly in the recent Andhra Assembly elections, multiple leaders have defected from the TDP to BJP since then, and the BJP has continued its efforts to strengthen its presence in the Telugu states.