Will work together to defeat BJP, save India, says Rahul Gandhi after meeting TDP chief Naidu

Congress president Rahul Gandhi Thursday said after meeting TDP chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu that Opposition parties will join hands and unitedly crush the BJP to save India, its institutions and the democracy. Apart from Rahul, Naidu met several other leaders in an effort to consolidate opposition support to root out the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2019.

According to TDP sources, the meeting comes amid seat-sharing talks between the parties for the December Assembly elections in Telangana.

Dubbing it a "very good meeting", Gandhi said, "The gist was that we have to defend democracy and future of the country. So, we are coming together to work, all opposition forces must unite".

We had a very good meeting, the gist was that we have to defend democracy and future of the country. So we are coming together to work, all opposition forces must unite: Rahul Gandhi after meeting AP CM N Chandrababu Naidu pic.twitter.com/sqIBtMT87P

— ANI (@ANI) November 1, 2018

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Stressing that a united opposition is the only option, Naidu 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".

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: N Chandrababu Naidu after meeting Rahul Gandhi pic.twitter.com/K8Kd8W8zRi

— ANI (@ANI) November 1, 2018

Earlier in the day, Naidu met NCP chief Sharad Pawar and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah in the national capital.

Naidu "coincidentally" also met senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi and briefly discussed about the need to bring all non-BJP political parties together.

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Thursday's visit to Delhi would be Naidu's second within a week, as he seeks to position himself as a leader who could fashion the anti-NDA alliance ahead of the 2019 general elections. On Saturday, he had met Mayawati, Arvind Kejriwal and Sharad Yadav.