NDA elects Narendra Modi as its leader for third time

Modi says he would strive to ensure unanimity in all decisions of his next government

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said he would strive to ensure unanimity in all decisions of his next government and asserted that the NDA is an organic alliance committed to the principle of ‘nation first’.

Chosen by the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance as its leader to become Prime Minister for the third time, Modi also said the NDA government in the next 10 years will focus on good governance, development, quality of life and minimum interference in the lives of common citizens.

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He said mutual trust was at the core of this alliance and they were committed to the principle of ‘sarv pantha sambhava’ (all sects are equal). “If we look at it in terms of numbers in the history of coalitions, this is the strongest coalition government,” Modi said, asserting the NDA knows it very well to digest victory.

“We have never lost. Our conduct following June 4 shows that we know how to digest victory,” the Prime Minister said, and attacked opposition parties.

“There were efforts to not acknowledge this very victory, to cast a ‘shadow of defeat’ on this victory. But all such efforts remained fruitless… Such things ‘die very young’, and it happened,” Modi said at the meeting of the NDA Parliamentary Party.

NDA leaders including N Chandrababu Naidu (TDP), Nitish Kumar (JDU), Eknath Shinde (Shiv Sena), Chirag Paswan (LJP-RV), H D Kumarswamy (JDS), Ajit Pawar (NCP), Anupriya Patel (Apna Dal-S), Pawan Kalyan (Jana Sena) attended the meeting along with newly elected Lok Sabha members from the ruling alliance.

Modi congratulated the victorious NDA leaders and said he must salute the lakhs of ground workers who worked to ensure this victory.

“This is the most successful alliance in the history of our country. It has completed three successful terms and is now entering its fourth. The NDA is not a grouping of parties that have come together to get power, it is committed to the principle of ‘nation first’,” he added.

Modi said “INDI alliance” parties have already started saying they came together only for the Lok Sabha polls. Such an approach showed their character, hunger for power, he said. “For me the NDA stands for New India, Developed India, Aspirational India,” he said.

“Our 10 years were just a trailer. We will work much harder and faster for the development of our country. People know that we will deliver,” Modi said. The Prime Minister said he had been missing parliamentary debates and hoped that the Opposition MPs also contribute to nation-building when they come to Parliament.

Taking a dig at the Congress, he said the opposition party could not even touch the 100 seats mark, and that their total seats in the last three LS polls were fewer than the BJP’s tally in this election alone.

“We are glad to note that for the first time, one of our representatives has emerged victorious in Kerala. We have been having a brilliant performance in Arunachal Pradesh. In Sikkim also, we have almost registered a ‘clean sweep’. In Andhra Pradesh, it is a historic victory. The way NDA’s vote share has increased in Tamil Nadu clearly shows what is in the offing,” Modi said.

“In the last 10 years, we worked to make the country touch new heights of success. A common thing that exists amongst all the leadership pillars of NDA is Good Governance,” Modi said. “Whenever given the chance to serve, each and every leader of the NDA has ensured Good Governance across Bharat. The NDA has become synonymous with Good Governance,” Modi said.