Former chief minister and TDP supremo, N Chandrababu Naidu had finally received an invitation from the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. He was invited to attend a meeting of Azadi Ka Amrut.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi would chair a national level meeting on the celebrations of the 75 years of Independence from August 15, 2022 to August 15, 2023. The celebrations would be held across the country involving all state governments and union territories.

The Central government had decided to involve all political parties in the events to be held all through the year. The celebrations would include remembering and honouring freedom fighters and recapping the freedom movement.

This was the first invitation for Chandrababu Naidu from the BJP-led NDA government after he broke alliance with the BJP ahead of the 2019 general elections. He was not invited for the Alluri Sitarama Raju 125th birth anniversary held at Bhimavaram on July 4.

Naidu was also not invited or involved in the just-concluded Presidential election, where the TDP chief had offered his party’s support to the NDA candidate, Droupadi Murmu. He had successfully lobbied with the Central leadership of the BJP in getting Murmu to the TDP meeting when she visited Andhra Pradesh on July 14.

Sources say that Chandrababu Naidu is working hard to convince the BJP leadership for alliance in the 2024 general elections. The BJP local leaders are in favour of the alliance as they expect a couple of seats in the alliance. Even the Jana Sena is in favour of an alliance between the TDP and the BJP.

However, the national leadership of the BJP is not ready to forge an alliance with Chandrababu Naidu. Leaders like Narendra Modi and Amit Shah are opposing tie-up with the TDP and called Chandrababu Naidu as the most undependable ally.

It is now to be seen whether Chandrababu Naidu would make use of this meeting to restore ties with the BJP or not.