Modi attacks Oppn at 39-party meet, says country trusts NDA

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is a rainbow of regional aspirations that puts the nation first and is trusted by India because it is a formation with a positive agenda and wasn’t conceived to grab power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told a conclave of 39 allies on Tuesday evening, attempting to draw a sharp contrast between the ruling coalition and an Opposition grouping that came together earlier in the day.

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NEW DELHI: Speaking in Delhi hours after 26 Opposition parties announced a coalition and named it INDIA, Modi told his allies that NDA stood for “New India, Developed India, and the Aspiration of the people”, hitting out at what he described as negative alliances built by the corrupt to peddle dynasty politics, casteism, and regionalism.

“NDA is totally different... for us the alliance is not majboori (compulsion), but mazbooti ka madhyam (means of strength). It is not a coalition of compulsions, but of contributions,” he said at a meeting of 38 NDA constituents convened in Delhi. “NDA brought stability to the country, and helped take timeless decisions. This is why India trusts the NDA…and people in foreign countries also know who holds the popular mandate.”

The 38 listed parties together won 42% of the votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and won 323 seats (excluding the Nationalist Congress Party and the Shiv Sena, both of whom are embroiled in party disputes). The BJP later released a statement saying 39 parties attended the meeting, however, information was not immediately available on which the 39th party was.

Earlier in the day, the Opposition announced its pre-poll coalition would be called the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, INDIA, to take on the NDA in the 2024 general elections, setting the state for a battle of alliances.