Last Updated: July 31, 2023, 23:44 IST
Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (File photo/PTI)
Sources present in the meeting say that the Prime Minister at the Maharashtra Sadan spoke about the solid partnership of the NDA which has withstood the test of time over the last 25 years
Hitting out at the alliance of 26 opposition parties I.N.D.I.A, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said changing name does not change one’s character.
The PM’s remarks came during his meetings with NDA MPs in New Delhi.
The first meeting was attended by NDA MPs from Uttar Pradesh — Western, Braj, Kanpur, and Bundelkhand. BJP national president JP Nadda and union minister Nitin Gadkari were also present at the meeting held at the new Maharashtra Sadan.
The second meeting with alliance leaders from Jharkhand, Bengal and Odisha was held in the Parliament complex in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah.
“The UPA will remain UPA. It had nothing to offer in the 10 years of rule. Just by changing the Chola (name) the basic character of an alliance or their Charitra (character) doesn’t change,” the PM is said to have highlighted in the meeting.
Sources present in the meeting say that the Prime Minister at the Maharashtra Sadan spoke about the solid partnership of the NDA which has withstood the test of time over the last 25 years.
“This is not an alliance of compulsion or convenience but a trusted one. When an alliance, the BJP allowed the Badals to take the chief minister place in Punjab, and similarly Nitish Kumar in Bihar, as part of the commitment of the alliance,” the PM is said to have told MPs in the meeting.
With a few months to go for the Lok Sabha elections, the prime minister, as per sources, told his party MPs from Uttar Pradesh that even though there is no NDA MP right now, wherever the MPs go, they must talk about the strength of NDA and highlight NDA-related achievements.
“Apart from building a Ram temple and abrogation of 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, there are several programmes that the Modi government has undertaken for the welfare of the citizens. Those programs must be taken to the ground, more aggressively and effectively,” the PM said, according to sources.
After the meeting, West Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar said, “The PM gave us a mantra for the 2024 polls. He lauded the work done by us fighting Mamata Banerjee’s misrule. A video was shown to all the MPs about the atrocities in Bengal. An account was given of what work was done by the Modi government over the last nine years in Bengal. I.N.D.I.A is famous for the scams like coal scam, 2G and jijaji (Robert Vadra). UPA’s name was a burden because of the scams, thus they changed the name.”
The NDA MPs will be holding meetings in various batches effective from July 31 till August 10. In each of those meetings divided into various states, the Prime Minister will be giving them the formula to win the 2024 elections with a thumping majority. Two groupings of senior leaders will be attending the meetings. This could be a combination of Amit Shah with Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari or JP Nadda.
