NDA unites people, opposition divides them, says PM Modi

On a day when Opposition parties formed their INDIA coalition to take on the NDA, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (July 18) said an alliance formed for the compulsion of power, based on dynastic politics and keeping in mind casteism and regionalism is very harmful to the country.

Addressing the leaders of constituents of the BJP-led coalition at a crucial meeting in New Delhi, Modi said the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) unites the people of the country while the opposition divides them.

He said the NDA recently completed 25 years – a period of giving speed to the country’s progress and fulfilling regional aspirations.

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“NDA is a beautiful rainbow of regional aspirations… So nation’s development through the development of states… At a time when we are working for a developed India, NDA is taking the lead in showing the spirit of sabka prayas,” he said.

Modi said there has been a long tradition of political alliances in the country but whichever alliance was formed on the basis of negativity, it never succeeded.

“In the 1990s, the Congress in order to bring instability in the country used alliances. They formed governments and pulled down governments. The NDA was formed in this period in 1998…It was not formed against anybody or to remove anyone from power, but it was formed to bring stability to the country,” the prime minister said.

He asserted that when there is a stable government, decisions that change the direction of the nation are taken.

“We saw it during Atal (Bihari Vajpayee) jis tenure and we are seeing this in the last nine years. Due to a stable government, the confidence of the world in India has increased,” he said.

“When we were in opposition also, we did constructive politics and did not indulge in negative politics. We opposed the government and brought to the fore their scams but we never disrespected the mandate. To oppose governments, we never sought foreign help,” Modi said.

He said that even when it was in the opposition, the NDA never posed roadblocks in the development of the country.

Modi said many opposition governments do not allow central schemes to be implemented in their states, and if implemented, they are not allowed to gather pace.

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

Thirty-eight parties are part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and as their leaders reached the venue earlier, they were welcomed with flower bouquets and stoles amid dhol beats.

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Earlier, Prime Minister Modi was welcomed by BJP president JP Nadda, Shiv Sena leader and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, former Tamil Nadu chief minister and AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and former Bihar chief minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha leader Jitan Ram Manjhi.

At the venue, the prime minister greeted and met NDA leaders. Modi hugged LJP (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan after the latter greeted him and touched his feet.