As opposition unites under 'INDIA', PM Modi assures allies: 'Have full confidence that NDA will come to power in 2024'

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

New Delhi:Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday 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 even as he said has confident of NDA coming to power in the next Lok Sabha elections.

His comments came on a day when opposition parties formed their INDIA coalition to take on the NDA. Addressing the leaders of constituents of the BJP-led coalition at a crucial meeting at Ashoka Hotel in New Delhi, Modi said the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) unites the people of the country while the opposition divides them.

"I can tell you with full confidence that NDA will come to power in 2024 as people know its chemistry and history," PM Modi said to the NDA constituents. "You all know mood of nation is in NDA's favour, global powers also believe people's mandate is for our alliance," he added. NDA, Modi said, had about 38 per cent vote share in 2014 and 45 per cent in 2019. "It will get over 50 per cent of votes in 2024," he said.

Slamming the opposition, PM Modi said it "underestimates wisdom of common people". "Public knows what is the glue of selfish gains that binds them...Opposition parties can come closer for political selfishness but they cannot come together," the Prime Minister said. He said that he can "make mistakes but will not do anything with ill-intention".

He said the NDA recently completed 25 years - a period of giving speed to the country's progress and fulfilling regional aspirations. "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) ji's 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. Earlier, Prime Minister Modi was welcomed by BJP president J P 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.

Earlier, calling NDA the ideal coalition to 'serve' and 'strengthen' the country, BJP president JP Nadda, at a press conference, said, “The BJP is the only party that, since it came into existence, has pursued issues ideologically — be it the Ram Temple or Article 370, we have always stood for a strong nation.” The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) meeting will deliberate on its strategy for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and there is no possibility of any discussion on sharing of seats, one of its constituents Apna Dal (S) said.