For the first time after coming out of the NDA more than two years ago and entering into a direct confrontation with PM Narendra Modi, TDP president and former Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu will get a chance to meet the latter, at least digitally, if not directly.
According to reports from New Delhi, Naidu’s name figures in the list of presidents of 16 political parties who would be interacting with the Prime Minister during the all-party meeting at 5 pm on Friday.
The focus of the meeting is on Indo-China border tensions which seem to have escalated after violent clashes at Ladakh’s Galwan Valley on Monday night that claimed lives of 20 Indian Army personnel.
Apparently, Naidu received a call from Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday evening and briefed them about the intent of the meeting.
Apart from Naidu, YSR Congress party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and Telangana Rashtra Samithi president and chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao would also be attending the meeting through video-conferencing mode.
However, latest reports say the Centre has decided to call leaders of only a few political parties having five or more MPs in parliament in the wake of the objections raised by some parties like Aam Admi Party and Rashriya Janata Dal for not being invited to the all-party meeting though they were recognised political parties.
If that is true, Naidu will lose the chance of making his presence felt at the national level once again!