Fadnavis says INDIA bloc agenda-less; Bawankule calls it ‘pack of animals’

Fadnavis claimed that the INDIA bloc members have come together to save their own political interests

Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday called the opposition bloc INDIA an “agenda-less” alliance and said its only aim is to unseat Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule called it a “pack of animals”.

As many as 63 representatives from 28 political parties will attend the meeting of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) on Thursday and Friday at Grand Hyatt Hotel in Mumbai.

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Speaking to reporters, Fadnavis said, “INDIA alliance is agenda-less. Their only agenda is to remove Modi from his post.” “Once Modi finds a place in people’s minds, not 36 but even if 100 parties come together, they cannot remove him. He is in people’s minds because of his hard work, pro-poor policies and dedication towards his work,” the senior BJP leader said.

Fadnavis claimed that the INDIA bloc members have come together to save their own political interests.

“Five political parties have already shown strong interest in the prime ministerial post. Even if they finalise a name, the name should be acceptable to the people,” he said.

Meanwhile, Fadnavis’s party colleague BJP state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule called the opposition grouping a “pack of animals”, in a retort to RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav’s comments on PM Modi.

“INDIA Alliance is nothing but a pack of animals. They project themselves as capable of making a big bang but it is already defused,” he said.

Of the 28 parties that are part of the INDIA bloc, there are some parties that do not have a single worker in Maharashtra, claimed Bawankule. They made similar attempts ahead of the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections as well but failed, he said.

The INDIA alliance leaders are getting together in Mumbai for the third round of their brainstorming session, after Patna and Bengaluru, to chalk out their common campaign strategy to take on the NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Several senior opposition leaders, including the Congress’ Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, have arrived in the city for the meeting.

The alliance would announce a coordination committee, which could be of 11 members from principal opposition parties.

The opposition alliance is also likely to hold discussions on whether to have a convenor or not and whether there will be some sub-groups to handle seat sharing, agitational joint programmes and communication strategy.