Common NDA spokesperson, work as one family: PM Modi’s message to ruling alliance MPs

“Today, the Prime Minister gave us an important mantra. He said that every MP has been elected to the House to serve the nation. Irrespective of the party they belong to, service to the nation is our first responsibility. Every NDA MP has to work by prioritising the country,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju told reporters after the meeting at the Balayogi Auditorium in the Parliament complex on Tuesday morning.

From Chirag Paswan of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and Rajiv Ranjan Singh of the Janata Dal (United) to Ram Mohan Naidu of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Milind Deora of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, each BJP ally reiterated Modi’s message.

“The PM said NDA MPs should work together to run the House and send a clear message that all are united,” said Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy of the Janata Dal (Secular). Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader Jayant Chaudhary also said Modi asked the MPs to “work as one family”.

At the meeting, held a day after Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi targeted him and the BJP, Modi tried to rally the ruling alliance’s parliamentarians behind him as he prepared to counter the Congress leader later in the day. NDA insiders said the PM advised the MPs not to “waste time talking to the media” or get misled by people who make false promises and misuse their proximity to power. Modi, according to sources, said the Opposition was upset because for the first time a non-Congress leader, and “that too a chaiwala (tea seller)” had become the PM for the third straight term. Highlighting his humble origins, Modi took an apparent jibe at the Nehru-Gandhi family, saying that its members used to be PMs and gave little recognition to those from outside their fold.

After the meeting, Paswan was one of the first leaders to target Gandhi. He told reporters that NDA members were concerned about the LoP’s “personal attacks” on the PM and Speaker Om Birla and his remarks that “hurt the feelings” of the followers of different religions. “In this context, the PM guided the newly elected MPs on how to conduct themselves. He brings vast experiences and inspires us,” said the Union Minister.

His Cabinet colleague Rajiv Ranjan Singh of the JD(U) took a swipe at Gandhi saying he was “still immature” despite becoming the LoP. LoP, but he is still “immature”.

Rijiju said PM Modi had guided MPs about how they should conduct themselves in the House, which is a “good mantra for all MPs, especially the first-time MPs”. He added, “PM urged NDA MPs to follow the rules of the House, the parliamentary democracy system, and conduct that is essential to becoming a good MP.”

Sources said that at the meeting, the PM talked about how the NDA won the Assembly elections in Odisha, Sikkim, and Andhra Pradesh that were held along with the Lok Sabha polls but added that the “arrogance and ego” of the Opposition prevented it from accepting the verdict.

In the Lok Sabha, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee targeted Modi, saying India now has “an unstable government and a strong Opposition”, with the PM now having to depend on the TDP and the JD(U) to run the government, whom he referred to as Modi’s “crutches”. In response, TDP MP Shabari Byreddy said, “He (Banerjee) was sarcastic. The crutches you are talking about is not a crutch, but a sword.” The MP, in her speech, reminded the government to provide financial assistance to Andhra as the “state is in a deep economic crisis”.