Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday accused caretaker Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, also known as KCR, of colluding with the Bharatiya Janata Party to target him, reported IANS.

“I speak on ideologies and policies. I never resort to personal attacks,” he said in response to KCR calling him a thief and traitor to Telangana on Wednesday. Rao had also attacked the Congress for forming an alliance with Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party.

Naidu alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi hatched a conspiracy to target him and his party. He said Modi was using central agencies against him. Naidu said he was not afraid of anybody and had a clean record and credibility in his 40-year-long political career.

The TDP leader accused Modi was trying to tarnish established political leaders and demolish established institutions. Naidu condemned what he called attempts by the Centre to take over the affairs of the Tirupati temple.

On his party’s alliance with the Congress in Telangana, Naidu said it was due to political compulsions. Naidu, however, ruled out a similar alliance with the Congress in Andhra Pradesh, saying the party does not have a big presence in the state.

The chief minister said that an opposition alternative to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance will form automatically even without a prime ministerial candidate being declared for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

“People are angry with the Modi government and they will choose an alternative,” he told PTI in an interview. “I do not visualise any problem if the PM candidate of the opposition front is not decided before the polls.”

He said discussions are under way with various parties to forge alliances. “Recently, I met Karnataka chief minister [HD Kumaraswamy] of JD(S),” Naidu said. “We are discussing with other parties as well.”

When asked if he was in the race for the post of prime minister, he said he will “never go to the Centre”. “I have never been an aspirant for any post or for any role at the Centre.” Naidu said.

The chief minister attacked the Modi government for putting the country in a “miserable state”. He said demonetisation was a “big flop”, fuel rates have increased, rupee has declined and imports have become costlier.

“I also expected a lot from Modi like every citizen,” Naidu said. “Talking is different, delivering is important. I feel anything will be better than what has happened in the last four-and-a-half years.”

Meanwhile, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi said it would neither ally with the BJP nor support it in the next Lok Sabha elections. The regional party said it was secular and had “very strong differences of opinion” with the BJP.

TRS leader and Information Technology Minister KT Rama Rao made the remarks during an interaction with Twitter users. KT Rama Rao also took potshots at the alliance formed by the Congress, the Telugu Desam Party and small parties for the upcoming Assembly elections, calling it a “maha ghatia bandhan [a weak combine]”.