Chandrababu Naidu On Key Difference Between BJP, Opposition Leadership

The key difference between the BJP today and the opposition is leadership, said veteran politician and Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu.

"The BJP has an inspiring leadership. PM Modi is selecting leadership on the basis of effectiveness. He is even selecting young leaders on the basis of performance. That makes all the difference," Mr Naidu told NDTV, his first time on national television since he supported the Narendra Modi 3.0 government.

Mr Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP) was among the key allies whose support helped the BJP form the government after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. TDP won 16 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh and also won the simultaneous assembly election in the southern state, which catapulted him to the position of Chief Minister for a fourth term.

"The BJP leadership has dynamism," the Chief Minister added.

Avoiding any direct criticism of his political rivals, Mr Naidu, when probed on the leadership of the opposition, said, "Electoral wins are proof," obliquely hinting at the poor track record of the opposition in fighting and winning elections against the BJP.

He even hinted that times change, and even parties and politics have to change with the times. "At one point, communists were very powerful, but today, what is the scope for communists after the economic reforms?"

Mr Naidu's word of caution should ring serious alarm bells in the opposition ranks, particularly because the master politician has in his long political career dealt with political parties across the aisle. Even tying up with Congress and the communists as recently as the last decade, while he has been a critical ally of BJP governments at the Centre, both of veteran politician and former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and Narendra Modi.