PM Modi slams Opposition ‘conclave of the corrupt’, says NDA a ‘coalition of contributions’

“When an alliance is formed due to compulsion of power, with the intention of corruption, based on dynastic politics, keeping in mind casteism and regionalism, then that alliance is very harmful to the country,” he said.

He said the Opposition coalition was built on negativity and contradictions. “Although India has a long tradition of coalitions, those formed with negativity have never succeeded,” he said.

He said that in the 1990s, the Congress used alliances to bring instability and pull down governments. The NDA was not formed against anybody or to remove anyone from power, but to bring stability to the country, he said.

Recalling that the meeting of 38 parties was taking place on the 25th anniversary of NDA, Modi said these parties have joined hands to create a new India, adding that the NDA stands for New India, Development, and Aspirations of the people.

Among these are smaller parties, some of which don’t have an elected representative in the state assemblies. Modi sought to assure them that the BJP would work with them as an equal partner. He said the parties represent regional aspirations. “It’s a beautiful rainbow… No party is big or small in the NDA. BJP got majority in 2014 and 2019, but the NDA formed the government,” he said.

He said what makes the NDA different from the Opposition is that “its intent is pure, policies are clear and decisions are strong.” “The NDA is committed to the people of India and its ideology is nation first, security of the nation first, progress first, and empowerment of people first,” he said.

He said that the NDA, even when it was in the Opposition, played a constructive role. It “exposed scams, but never insulted the people’s mandate, or took foreign assistance in bringing instability in the country, or created hurdles in development”. However, he said, some Opposition governments did not roll out NDA schemes in their states.

“I can tell you with full confidence that the NDA will return to power in 2024, as people know its chemistry and history,” he said. Before the meeting too, he tweeted that the NDA was a “time-tested alliance which seeks to further national progress and fulfil regional aspirations”.

Assuring that he would not leave any stone unturned in his efforts, and “every particle of my body, every moment of my time, is dedicated to the country”, Modi told his allies: “You know the mood of the nation is in NDA’s favour. Global powers also believe the people’s mandate is for our alliance… Usually, foreign countries wait for election results to get into agreements or efforts to improve ties… But India’s case is different. Despite knowing that we are headed for polls, they are inviting NDA representatives and honouring India, because they know that the people have decided to return the NDA to power,” the PM said.

He asserted that the NDA, which got 38 per cent votes in 2014 and 45 per cent in 2019, would get over 50 per cent votes in 2024. “Your efforts will not go wasted,” he said.

With Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) and Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt, Dhadial) present at the meeting, Modi termed them as the “real heirs” of Balasaheb Thackeray and Parkash Singh Badal respectively, the BJP’s oldest allies.

Modi also spoke at length on how the NDA’s policies have brought social justice and included women as participants in economic development.

He said his government had risen above party differences to award the Bharat Ratna to late President and former Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee, and honoured Mulayam Singh, Tarun Gogoi, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Muzaffar Baig and many other non-NDA leaders with Padma awards.

Modi also said the Indian economy had moved from 10th place globally to fifth during NDA rule, and would rank third in the alliance’s third term.

At the venue, Modi was welcomed by BJP president J P Nadda, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio among others. He hugged LJP (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan, who is locked in a fight with his uncle and union minister Pashupati Kumar Paras.

In a resolution passed by voice vote later, the parties undertook “to emerge victorious in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections under the leadership of… Modi… with a bigger mandate, powered by massive public support and blessings.” They also reposed “full faith” in his leadership “to attain a bigger mandate in 2024”.

While lauding the Modi government’s initiatives for the poor, the resolution hit out at the Opposition. “Rejecting and rubbishing the lies, rumours and baseless allegations of the Opposition parties, the country is reposing faith in the leadership of the NDA coalition. The Opposition is faced with a crisis of identity and relevance. Today, the Opposition is confused and disoriented,” it said

The NDA gathering included the AIADMK, Shiv Sena (Shinde), NPP (National People’s Party, Meghalaya), NDPP (Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party, Nagaland), SKM (Sikkim Krantikari Morcha), JJP (Jannayak Janata Party), AJSU (All Jharkhand Students’ Union), RPI (Republican Party of India), MNF (Mizo National Front), Tamil Maanila Congress, Indiya Makkal Kalvi Munnetra Kazhagam (IMKMK) from Tamil Nadu, IPFT (Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura), BPP (Bodo People’s Party), PMK (Pattali Makkal Katchi), MGP (Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party), Apna Dal, AGP (Asom Gana Parishad), Rashtriya Lok Jan Shakti Party, Nishad Party, UPPL (United People’s Party Liberal, Assam), AIRNC (All India NR Congress, Puducherry), Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt, Dhadial), Jana Sena (Pawan Kalyan), NCP (Ajit Pawar group), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas Paswan), HAM (Hindustani Awam Morcha), RLSP (Rashtriya Lok Samata Party), VIP (Vikassheel Insaan Party, Mukesh Sahni) and SBSP (Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, Om Prakash Rajbhar), among others.

The PM is learnt to have held a separate meeting with NCP leaders Ajit Pawar and Praful Patel later, at which Nadda and Home Minister Amit Shah were also present.

Earlier in the day, while virtually inaugurating the new integrated terminal building of the Veer Savarkar Airport at Port Blair, Modi said “people are saying” that the Opposition meet in Bengaluru was a “conclave of the corrupt” whose mantra was “of, by and for the family”.

“People are saying that this gathering is to promote ‘bhrashtachar’ (corruption),” he said. “People have made up their minds to bring our government back to power in 2024,” he said.

“They (Opposition parties) are not concerned about the development of the children of the country’s poor. Their common minimum programme is to increase corruption for their family. It is their only ideology and agenda… Democracy means ‘of the people, by the people, for the people’. But these dynastic parties have the mantra of ‘of the family, by the family, for the family’. For them, their family is first, and the nation is nothing,” he said. —With PTI inputs