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38 parties set to attend NDA meet today for ‘seva’ not ‘satta’: BJP
Thirty-eight parties have confirmed their participation at the meeting of the NDA scheduled for Tuesday, BJP president JP Nadda said.
Thirty-eight parties have confirmed their participation at the meeting of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) scheduled for Tuesday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president JP Nadda said, adding that the grouping has come together for “seva” (service) not “satta” (power), a barb aimed at the grouping-in-the-making of 26 opposition parties meeting in Bengaluru.
Also read: Congress says Day 1 positive, terms NDA meet ‘direct impact’ of Bengaluru gathering
Most of the partners, including those that have returned to the NDA’s fold after walking out, have decided to join “to strengthen India” and the BJP remains committed to its “ideology,” Nadda said at a press meet on the eve of the meeting.
“The historic expansion of the NDA is taking shape to fulfil the aspirations of the nation,” he said. “The growing desire of the people to push ahead with the agenda of development and good governance delivered in the last nine years under the leadership of PM Modi has led to the expansion of the NDA, and it is a continuous process.”
The BJP, which was accused by its former allies of riding roughshod over partners and sidestepping consensus building on key issues, such as the farm laws that saw the party part ways with its oldest ally, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), is using the expanded composition of the NDA as talking point to tout of credentials of being in the pole position to lead a coalition of diverse parties. The number of NDA partners rising from 24 in 1998 to 38 now, party leaders said is an indication of the party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s acceptance and popularity.
To be sure, both groupings are certain to have long tails. Only nine parties have 10 seats or more in the 545-member Lok Sabha (the nine account for 479 members) . It is quite likely that at least some of the 26 potential constituents of the opposition grouping, and the 38 of the NDA are not represented in the Lok Sabha; only 37 parties have members in the lower house of Parliament.
Although Nadda did not disclose the names of the 38 partners, he asserted that aligning with some of the parties that were earlier criticised by the BJP for corruption, dynastic politics and various other issues was not borne out by political expedience. There has been criticism of the BJP for aligning with Ajit Pawar of the Nationalist Congress Party,a party specifically targetted by the former for corruption.”The law will take its own course. We respect the law and Constitution. Within the ambit of the law, everyone has the right to move ahead,” he said, responding to a question on a possible investigation of Ajit Pawar.
“The strategy is dynamic but the ultimate goal is to strengthen our ideology. Our objective is (our) ideology; if there is flood somewhere, we take a different route,” he added, referring perhaps to the means justifying the end.
Nadda went on to say that the BJP and its precursor, the Jan Sangh have always been focused on their ideology. “Be it the (construction) of the Ram Temple..., or when we spoke of the nuclear tests and people were making fun.”
Nadda denied that the party had “let go of any allies” and was cordial to even those who had snapped ties with the BJP. “Our agenda is desh seva (serving the country). We did not let anyone go...those who quit, we did not stop being friendly with them, the broader picture for us is sabka saath, sabka vikas.”
Responding to a question on whether the party would revive ties with former allies such as the Telegu Desam Party and SAD -- it has held talks with both -- Nadda said it was for those parties to decide. It wasn’t immediately clear whether either of them, or Chirag Pawan’s LJP (RP) are part of the count of 38.
The BJP isn’t wooing anyone, Nadda insisted. “We share our agenda; for the larger cause, they have to decide when they want to come back.”
Responding to the opposition, which has criticised the BJP’s attempts to revive the NDA, he said, “The UPA (United Progressive Alliance) is bhanumati ka kunba (the Indian equivalent of Pandora’s box), they do not have the neeyat (intent), neeti (policy), neta (leader) or the power to take decisions. They are not here to deliver; they (represent) 10 years of non-governance and corruption... and they want no action against scams worth ₹20 lakh crore .”
The Congress dismissed the NDA meeting as an attempt to revive the alliance that is now in its 25th year in the wake of the opposition parties coming together to take on the BJP. “After Patna, the PM suddenly remembered the NDA. Earlier, he never cared for NDA. Now, he is trying to give a new lease of life to NDA. This is an achievement of the Patna meeting,” Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said.
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Nadda also slammed the opposition parties for suggesting that the government “misuses” agencies against its political opponents and said the parties such as Aam aadmi Party and the Congress coming together is an illustration of compromise. “This is a democratic country, and the agencies are independent,” he said.
Tuesday’s meeting will lay the ground for the party trying to consolidate its position in the Hindi heartland states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, where it is banking on a clutch of smaller parties that have a committed vote bank of particular castes, such as the Rashtriya Lok Samta Party, Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party, Vikassheel Insaan Party and Hindustani Awam Morcha.
It is also hoping that ties with parties such as the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Tamila Manila Congress, Kerala Congress (Thomas) and Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) will bolster its chances in the south, where it is not in power in any of the states.
At a time when the BJP-ruled Manipur is on the boil, the party is hoping to retain allies from the region that mostly have a single member representation in Parliament, such as the National People’s Party (Meghalaya), Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party(Nagaland), Sikkim Krantikari Morcha) and Asom Gana Parishad.
