NDA meeting: Decadesold NDA a natural alliance: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised at the first NDA parliamentary party meeting of the 18th Lok Sabha on Friday that the grouping has lasted over three decades because it is an “organic alliance” dedicated to nationbuilding. Modi, who will lead a coalition government for the first time in his career, noted that the NDA has lasted over 30 years and is India’s most successful prepoll coalition. “NDA has the majority, but consensus is more important to run the country. We shall strive for success and leave no stone unturned. An honest review of the NDA reveals a commitment to nationbuilding rather than going after power. NDA is organic,” the prime minister said. Equal significance of all partners and working together, not for “photo ops” but at the grassroots is a primary factor that has led to NDA’s growth. “There should be an airtight bond between the regional and national aspirations for the country to grow,” he said.AllUttar PradeshMaharashtraTamil NaduWest BengalBiharKarnatakaAndhra PradeshTelanganaKeralaMadhya PradeshRajasthanDelhiOther States TDP Chief NChandrababu Naidu, Bihar Chief Minister and JDU head Nitish Kumar, Maharashtra CM and Shiv Sena (Shinde) President Eknath Shinde, Chirag Paswan (LJPRV), HD Kumaraswamy (JDS), Ajit Pawar (NCP), Jitan Ram Manjhi (HAMS), Anupriya Patel (APS), and Pawan Kalyan (JSP) shared the dais with Modi and endorsed him as prime minister of the next government. The prime minister insisted that the common thread for the NDA constituents has been good governance. “NDA is synonymous with good governance. Garib Kalyan (welfare of the poor) has been at the centre for all of us for me as chief minister, Babu (Naidu) in Andhra Pradesh and Nitish Kumar in Bihar. The country has ‘lived’ this alliance. There was a big void which we have filled. We have moved with the mantra of sabka vikas,” he said. Looking ahead at “another ten years”, the prime minister assured that the NDA will strive to usher in good governance, development, quality of life for citizens and his own “dream” that the less interference there is of the government in the life of the middle and upper class the better. “All this can be achieved with the help of technology… We will write a new chapter of good.”

He took jibes at the Opposition on the EVMs controversy during the elections and charged that the INDIA parties are against technology.

“Is EVM alive or dead?” the prime minister asked the MPs, inviting laughter and thumping of desks. He alleged that the Opposition had decided beforehand that they cannot trust the EVMs and he apprehended they would take out a “death procession or a march” against it on counting day