TDP, INLD may join NDA as allies, Chandrababu calls for change at Centre

New Delhi: Decks have almost been cleared for the Telugu Desam Party which is expected to join the BJP-led NDA on October 2. Chandrababu Naidu's party is likely to enter into a pre-election alliance with BJP in Andhra Pradesh, after his meeting in Delhi with BJP president Rajnath Singh. According to a BJP leaders, talks with TDP have almost concluded and the electoral agreement will be announced soon jointly on October 2 when BJP's PM candidate Narendra Modi will share the dais with Naidu in Delhi.TDP was part of NDA during former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure, when the TDP leader GMC Balayogi was given the post of Lok Sabha speaker. Balayogi was speaker from May, 1996 till March 2002 when Naidu was ruling the roost in Andhra Pradesh.BJP is keen to appoint Naidu as the convenor of NDA, because Naidu had handled a similar responsibility when his party was a member of the United Front coalition in 1998. In an interview to a national daily, Chandrababu Nadu has said a regime change was required at the Centre to bring clarity in policies, confidence in the minds of investors and stability in the India story.Naidu said: "Congress is dividing the country on the lines of religion, caste and regions. We need a stable government to put the country and its economy back on the rails," Naidu said in an interview. Naidu had attended a meeting at Akali Dal MP Naresh Gujral's home in Delhi last weekend attended by BJP leader Arun Jaitley and INLD leader Abhay Chautala. BJP has also been holding talks with INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala for a tie-up in Haryana, where the party already has an understanding with Kuldeep Bishnoi's Haryana Janhit Congress."We could allot a seat to Bishnoi from our quota of seats. It will not create any hurdle," said a BJP leader. Abhay Chautala has expressed his party's keenness to work with BJP, the BJP leader said. Modi, who has been spearheading the party's efforts at coalition-building, has also held talks with other potential allies, including Babulal Marandi in Jharkhand, BS Yeddyurappa in Karnataka and AGP's Prafulla Mahanta. The alliance with Marandi can be worked out if BJP agrees to contest the next election under his leadership, and in that case former CM Arjun Munda may have to be sidelined.In his interview, Chandrababu Naidu has said: "The way out is the formation of a new government — a clean and strong government. A strong government is needed to break the current logjam. "Look at the bills that they have passed, particularly the one on land acquisition. Can industry acquire an inch of land after the passage of the bill? They have put the India story in danger." "I would like to tell you about the kind of industry-friendly approach that the TDP adopted when we were in charge of Andhra Pradesh. I ensured that the government functioned as a facilitator for investments. There was a post called 'escort officer'. "The job of this official was to ensure hassle free environment for investors. Now, roadblocks have become fashionable", Naidu said. On TDP's role in the 2014 elections, Naidu said: "Whenever the country has faced a crisis, the TDP has played a positive and constructive role. There is a national crisis now. "We have to come together to save the country. We supported the United Front and the NDA in the past and ensured that the country benefited from good policies." Asked whether he was open to the idea of allying with the BJP, Naidu said: "We are open to discussions with all those who are interested in ending the misrule of the Congress. We have an open mind. And I will discuss all possibilities with my party leaders."