Chandrababu Naidu to attend NDA meeting in Delhi

Amaravati, Dec 24: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu visited Delhi on Tuesday to attend a meeting of top leaders of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Wednesday.

Naidu, whose Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is a key ally of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, will attend the meeting to be held at BJP President J.P. Nadda's residence.

Naidu, who is heading the TDP-led NDA government in Andhra Pradesh, will pay tributes to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Atal Samadhi on Wednesday morning on his birth anniversary.

The NDA meeting coincides with the 100th birth anniversary of former PM Vajpayee.

The TDP Chief is also likely to have separate meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss state-specific issues.

The NDA meeting assumes significance in view of the recent developments, especially the row over Amit Shah's remarks about Bharat Ratna B. R. Ambedkar and the vociferous demand by the opposition parties for his resignation.

The NDA leaders at their meeting are likely to discuss a strategy to counter the Opposition's attack.

The ruling NDA is expected to use the presence of Chandrababu Naidu and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to send a strong counter to the Congress party and its allies.

During the Winter session of the Parliament, Amit Shah made certain remarks about Ambedkar while participating in the debate to mark 75 years of the Constitution.

The opposition parties had termed his remarks as 'derogatory and shameful' and demanded his resignation.

The Congress and its allies also demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi remove Amit Shah from the Cabinet.

The meeting is also likely to discuss ensuring better coordination among NDA allies.

The leaders of the alliance are also expected to work out a joint strategy on key legislations like the 'One Nation One Election' and the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024.

Both the bills have been referred to the Joint Parliamentary Panel.