Naidu Meeting With Ambani Just Smoke Without Fire

Telugu Desam Party working president and Andhra Pradesh IT minister Nara Lokesh made an attempt to dismiss the reports, what he called a rumour, that the TDP had a second thoughts in continuing in BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), but analysts wonder whether it was just a case of smoke without fire.

Speaking at an Indian Express programme a couple of days ago, Lokesh rejected reports suggesting that TDP president and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had considered exiting the NDA and had held meetings with a prominent industrialist and a former Vice-President as part of such an exercise.

Calling the reports baseless, Lokesh said he had even mentioned the issue to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who, according to him, laughed it off.

“We repeatedly find ourselves having to prove that we are with the NDA,” Lokesh said, reiterating that the TDP remains committed to the alliance.

Analysts say Lokesh’s clarification has further fuelled speculation instead of dousing it, as the entire discussion has now gone public, especially since the clarification came at a public event organised by a national media house.

According to reports in a section of the media sometime in November last year, Anil Ambani had visited Andhra Pradesh to explore industrial investment opportunities around Rambilli and Achyutapuram near Visakhapatnam and is understood to have met Chandrababu Naidu during that visit.

The reports claimed that the discussions between the two were not confined to investment proposals but also touched upon national political developments.

There was talk that Anil Ambani had conveyed concerns about the political climate within the BJP and reportedly suggested that Naidu or Nara Lokesh meet then Vice-President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar.

Accordingly, Lokesh travelled to New Delhi and met Jagdeep Dhankhar. Around the same period, former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also met the then Vice-President.

These meetings triggered speculation in political circles, which ultimately linked them to the resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar from the office of Vice-President shortly thereafter.

According to the reports, the sequence of events may have raised concerns within the BJP leadership and prompted Naidu to subsequently meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to explain the context of the meetings.

The reports also suggested that the Prime Minister sought details of the interactions involving Anil Ambani.

Though none of these reports has been verified or confirmed by any of the persons involved, they continued to create speculation in media and political circles. This apparently prompted the Indian Express to raise the issue during its interaction with Lokesh on Tuesday.

Analysts say there is no reason to believe that Naidu or Lokesh wanted the TDP to come out of the NDA at this stage, especially when the Modi government is extending maximum assistance to the state government and providing political support to Naidu.

The TDP rejoined the NDA ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections after exiting the alliance in 2018.

Since returning to power in Andhra Pradesh, the Chandrababu Naidu government has worked closely with the BJP-led Centre on several major projects, including Amaravati capital development, infrastructure initiatives and financial assistance to the state.

The TDP also remains one of the important regional allies supporting the NDA government at the Centre, making speculation about its future within the alliance politically significant.

Analysts say that while Chandrababu Naidu has, over the years, demonstrated political flexibility in forging and exiting alliances based on changing political circumstances, there is currently no public indication that the TDP intends to leave the NDA.

Since Lokesh himself has confirmed meeting the industrialist and the former Vice-President, there is no dispute about the meetings.

What remains unsubstantiated are the political interpretations attached to them and the alleged links drawn between those interactions, Dhankhar’s resignation and subsequent developments involving Anil Ambani.

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