Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu made it clear that he did not mind supporting any leader in the country other than Narendra Modi as the prime minister of the country.
Though he did not specifically say he would support even a BJP candidate other than Modi, the TDP chief said any leader in the opposition – whether it is BSP chief Mayawati, her alliance partner and president of Samajwadi Party Akhilesh Yadav or West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was better than Modi.
“They are all worthy PM contenders. In fact, every leader in the opposition is better than him" he asserted in an interview to a national daily.
Naidu, however, ruled out the possibility of him being one of the contenders for the PM post.
“I am not at all in the race for PM post. Please rule me out from this competition,” he said.
The TDP chief was endorsed as PM candidate by National Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, Janata Dal founder president and former Prime Minister Deve Gowda.
When Babu led the United Front in 1996, the coalition partners have strongly supported Babu's candidature for the post for which he refused twice.
When the reporter asked him why he opted himself out from the race, he said that as the AP is relatively new state following the bifurcation and will concentrate on the development of the state.