Everyone will be the face of Opposition, says Mamata Banerjee after meeting Naidu

New Delhi, Nov 19: Ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections , Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Monday met his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee and stated that parties which oppose the ruling BJP will join forces to "protect the nation" as "democracy is in danger".

Addressing reporters with Trinamool Congress chief Mamata, the TDP chief said there is "intolerance" towards minorities in the country and institutions like CBI, ED, Income Tax dept, RBI and CAG are under "severe pressure".

When asked who will be the face of the grand alliance in 2019, Mamata said "everyone will be the face of the mahaghatbandhan", adding that all opposition parties are "together" in the fight against the BJP. The West Bengal chief minister later thanked Naidu later for coming to Kolkata to meet her.

A meeting of opposition parties scheduled to be held in New Delhi on November 22 has been postponed, the TDP chief said, according to PTI. The new date will be announced soon, he said.

Naidu, whose TDP was earlier an ally of the BJP, has met a spectrum of leaders including Congress president Rahul Gandhi, NCP's Sharad Pawar, National Conference' Farooq Abdullah, former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, his Karnataka counterpart H D Kumaraswamy and DMK president M K Stalin as part of his efforts to forge a front against the ruling party.

Last week, the Andhra Pradesh government also withdrew its general consent given to the CBI, which is being seen as an all-out war between Naidu and the BJP-led Centre. Banerjee followed suit, supporting Naidu.

The TDP with Naidu at its helm quit the NDA in March this year, citing the centre's refusal to grant Andhra Pradesh the 'special category status'.