38 parties to attend BJP-led meet in Delhi; Chirag Paswan returns to NDA fold
Eyeing a big show of strength by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), BJP president JP Nadda said on Monday that 38 parties have confirmed their participation in its meeting scheduled to take place in New Delhi on Tuesday (July 18).
In another major announcement, Nadda said Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan has decided to join the NDA alliance under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. Paswan also met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and said the two had positive discussions on the issues related to the alliance with BJP.
Also read: Amid Opposition unity, BJP reviving NDA ‘ghost’, says Congress
Nadda slammed the Opposition leaders’ unity efforts as a “selfish” exercise to protect themselves from action in cases of corruption of over Rs 20 lakh crore. “The NDA will resolve that the country will again elect its government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership,” Nadda told a press conference a day before the ruling alliance and the Opposition parties hold their meetings as their campaign for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls gather pace. The NDA meeting will be held in Delhi on Tuesday evening, while the two-day meeting of 26 Opposition parties got underway in Bengaluru on Monday evening.
श्री @iChiragPaswan जी से दिल्ली में भेंट हुई। उन्होंने माननीय प्रधानमंत्री श्री @narendramodi जी के नेतृत्व वाले NDA गठबंधन में शामिल होने का निर्णय लिया है। मैं उनका NDA परिवार में स्वागत करता हूँ। pic.twitter.com/vwU67B6w6H
— Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) July 17, 2023
Nadda said that the NDA is underpinned by the ideology of national interest and people’s welfare by taking along all sections of society, as he hit out at the Opposition parties as a coalition which has neither leader nor any intent or policy or the strength to take a decision.
“It has been cobbled together with a selfish motive to protect these leaders from cases of corruption of more than Rs 20 lakh crore during the UPA government,” he said. This is just a good photo opportunity, he added.
Also read: Karnataka: Ahead of NDA meet, buzz over Kumaraswamy striking deal with BJP
To a question on whether the BJP’s former allies such as the Akali Dal and the Telugu Desam Party will also join the NDA, he said it is up to them and claimed that the decision to leave the alliance with his party was theirs. The BJP never asked them to go, he said.
The BJP president also lashed out at the Congress for its suggestion that the ruling party was bringing together its allies due to the unity exercise in Opposition ranks. The NDA just completed its 25 years of existence, he said, mocking Congress leaders for their “ignorance”.
(With agency inputs)
