Tag: National Democratic Alliance

NDA Has Put India on World Map

Even As A First-Time Voter, I Can See NDA Has Put India on World Map

By LokMarg

Aditya Prakash Goel, a BCom Hons student from Sardhana, says he is excited about casting his vote for the first time and he would want NDA to return to power. His views:

This is my first experience as a voter and I am happy to be a part of the democratic exercise in this Lok Sabha elections. It feels like I am a citizen of a representative state and my vote can make a positive difference.

I believe the nation has not just changed under the current NDA rule but a new chapter of remarkable growth and fast paced development is also being written. India has showcased itself as a trend setter in the last few years. The nation has moved from the politics of hooliganism, corruption and appeasement to the politics of development, growth, unity and nationalism.

This remarkable journey has strengthened democracy in its real sense by empowering the marginalised sections of the society – from the unprivileged to underprivileged, the women and the youth. It also has been a journey of changing the Indian thought process from nothing is impossible in this country to everything is possible if the government and the people have the will and commitment to bring about a change.

The NDA rule has emphasised the motto of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas Sabka Vishwas.

Various initiatives have been taken up by the government in the last few years that have contributed to the development of the country showcasing it globally. Some of the initiatives that show the country has progressed and stepped towards change are:

The power of JAM, Jan Dhan Yojna, Aadhar and Mobile. This trinity aims at maximizing the value of every rupee spent, empower the poor, increase technology penetration among the masses, and implement direct subsidy transfers to the poor. The government intends to use these three modes of identification to revolutionize financial inclusion in India.

The digital India initiative aims at transforming the country into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy, bridging the gap between the urban and the rural areas. The government has truly made tremendous efforts in the making of digital India making transactions cashless.

ALSO READ: ‘India Has Progressed But Suppression of Dissent Worrisome’

Make in India initiative has given a rapid boost to manufacturing. It facilitates investment, fosters innovations, enhances skill development and builds the best manufacturing infrastructures. It is an effort to boost the country’s entrepreneurial energy.

The skill India mission has been initiated to create convergence across sectors and states in terms of skill training activities and promoting handwork and cultural background of the country.

Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana is a rural development programme focusing on development in villages which includes social and cultural development and motivating people towards social mobilization of the village community.

Then there is Namami Gange to arrest the pollution of the Ganga, Pradhanmantri Ujjwala Yojana providing smoke free kitchens by providing LPG connectivity to the beneficiaries, 35 crore Jandhan accounts have been opened as part of Pradhanmantri Jandhan Yojana, nearly 18,000 villages have been electrified and schemes like PM Kisan Samman Nidhi to boost agriculture.

The government has sought to create infrastructure in terms of roads and railways through highways and trains and schemes like UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) have sought to boost connectivity.

During the pandemic, the country emerged as one of the largest vaccine producing hub on the global scenario. In the last few years India has emerged as a significant economic and geo political power on the world map.

As told to Deepa Gupta

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Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav

Akhilesh Responds To Rumours Of RLD Chief Merging With NDA

By LokMarg

Responding to the speculations doing rounds that Jayant Chaudhary-led Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) might join forces with the National Democratic Alliance ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said that the grandson of former Prime Minister –Chaudhary Charan Singh– is an educated person and he will not let the fight for farmers weaken.

“Jayant Chaudhary is an educated person and he understands politics really well. I am hopeful that he will not let the fight for farmers weaken,” Akhilesh Yadav said.

There are reports that Jayant Chaudhary in in advanced talks with the BJP for a seat-sharing formula for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The reports came nearly three weeks after Yadav announced the Samajwadi Party’s alliance with the RLD for the April-May polls.

“Congratulations to everyone on the Rashtriya Lok Dal-SP alliance. Let us all unite for victory!” Akhilesh Yadav posted on X on January 19. He also posted a picture of him shaking hands with Jayant Chaudhary.

According to the party sources, RLD agreed to fight in alliance on 7 to 8 seats out of the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, with most of the seats in Western UP. The Samajwadi Party is also striking an alliance with the Congress for the Lok Sabha polls with the Congress expected to contest 11 seats.

Meanwhile, Akhilesh’s wife and Samajwadi Party MP, Dimple Yadav exuded confidence that Chaudhary won’t take such a decision.

“The way Bharatiya Janata Party has been working against the farmers and the way our wrestlers have been insulted by BJP, I don’t think RLD national president Jayant Chaudhary will take any step that will damage our farmers directly,” she said while speaking to reporters in Parliament in the national capital.

Apart from this, Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Yadav also said that RLD will remain in the INDIA bloc fold.

“I know Jayant (Singh) very well. They are secular people. BJP is only misleading using the media. They (RLD) will remain in the INDIA alliance and defeat the BJP,” Akhilesh Yadav’s uncle told reporters here.

SP and RLD had contested the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections 2022 together. (ANI)

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Countdown To Modi's Third Term Begins

The Countdown to Narendra Modi’s Third Term Begins

By Sanjoy Narayan

The next time you are at an Indian railway station and it happens to be one of the hundred that has a selfie point, you can pass the time while waiting for your train by taking a photograph of yourself along with a life size replica of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The selfie points, if they’re of the permanent sort, cost around ₹6.25 lakh, while the temporary ones are cheaper at ₹1.25 lakh.

Railway stations aren’t the only places where you can take a selfie with the Prime Minister (albeit in a life-size 3-D avatar) beside you. Such points have also been installed at museums, parks, and other public spaces. According to media reports, universities and even the armed forces have been instructed to install them. One source says the total number of selfie points is 822.

At New Delhi’s international airport terminal, as you walk to the departure gates, there are several booths with Modi’s image along with that of Swami Gyananand where you can take a selfie. Swami, an Indian Mahamandaleshwar saint, is known for his research on Bhagavad Gita, the 700-verse Hindu scripture. He has also founded another organisation to globally promote the Gita.

The ubiquity of images and pictures of Modi, on posters, banners, official documents, and other commonly used official papers and forms for the past 10 years that he has been Prime Minister is not new but now their omnipresence seems truly larger than life and, quite clearly, this has much to do with the forthcoming parliamentary elections, which Modi and his party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would like to win and extend the tenure of its rule by another five years.

Last December 31, The Guardian’s headline of an article said: BJP win in India’s 2024 general election ‘almost an inevitability’. It was written by Hannah-Ellis Petersen, the newspaper’s South Asia correspondent, and it described how, with less than six months left for the election (in which 900 million Indians will be eligible to vote) the Modi government had launched a nationwide campaign to highlight its achievements “despite criticisms of politicising government bureaucracy and resources for campaigning purposes”.

The Guardian’s use of the word “inevitability” in its headline (although in the article it is attributed to a prominent Indian policy analyst) displays the newspaper’s bias against Modi and his government, which are seen by the West as pushing a Hindu nationalist agenda and creating insecurity among minorities. Nearly 80% of Indians are Hindus and 14% are Muslims. As a percentage of India’s population of more than 1.4 billion, viewed against any global population statistics, both those numbers are huge.

Still, the view from the West could miss the reality on the ground in India. For instance, The Guardian article says: “At state and national level, the apparatus of the country has been skewed heavily towards the BJP since Modi was elected in 2014. He has been accused of overseeing an unprecedented consolidation of power, muzzling critical media, eroding the independence of the judiciary and all forms of parliamentary scrutiny and accountability and using government agencies to pursue and jail political opponents.”

To be sure, many Indian observers also agree that since the BJP-led regime came to power, elections, especially in the more populous northern and central states, have been marked by religious polarisation. And that inequality remains one of the biggest concerns and challenges. The richest 1% of Indians own 58% of wealth, while the richest 10% of Indians own 80% of the wealth. This trend has consistently increased–so the Indian rich are getting richer much faster than the poor, widening the income gap.

Also sadly, despite over 70 years’ of effort by the Indian government, the caste system (or social inequity) also continues to keep widening that gap. People coming from the marginalised sections of caste-based social categories, continue to be directly impacted in terms of their opportunities, access to essential utilities, and their potential as a whole.

The ordinary Indian voter, however, sees Modi as a strongman, a hero who has not only tried to enhance India’s prestige and status on the global stage–last year it hosted as rotational president the G-20 summit; and sent a space mission to land on the moon–but also tried to help improve the average Indian’s economic fortunes. India’s economy has grown at a higher rate than most large economies (although inequality has not been impacted significantly); a slew of subsidies aimed at the poor have benefited millions; and universal digital services have ensured that beneficiaries are not denied what they have the right to receive. Infrastructure, especially roads have improved impressively and so has public access to medical facilities and hygiene.

A well-known publicity and communications strategist of the Congress party, which is the BJP’s main challenger from the Opposition, admits that India will go to the polls with a clear advantage for Modi and his party. In 2019, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which is led by the BJP, won 353 of the 543 seats in the Lok Sabha, or lower house of Parliament. The BJP on its own won 303 seats. This time, the Congress strategist who spoke on conditions of anonymity, said he wouldn’t be surprised if the NDA wins 350 seats, a staggering 65% of the total seats.

It is a fact that the Indian mainstream media is no longer a platform where criticism of the ruling regime or a focus on problem areas such as religious polarisation is encouraged. In fact, India’s largest newspapers and TV channels are dominated by hagiographic coverage of the Modi-led regime. Even “independent” media outlets, most of which are small and lack robust business models, have begun to shy away from criticising the government or its policies, some of them because they fear retaliation in the shape of tax raids or other regulatory action.

No one really cares. Last year, several leading Indian artists were “commissioned” to make artwork themed on the Prime Minister’s monthly addresses to the nation, Mann Ki Baat. The event, which occurs once a month, is aired by the state-owned TV channels (and co-telecast by many private channels as well) and streamed on the internet and social media platforms. The commissioning of artists marked the 100th episode of Mann Ki Baat and the art that they created was exhibited under the title Jana Shakti (people’s power) at Delhi’s prestigious National Gallery of Modern Art.

Last week it was announced that the Opposition alliance of nearly 30 parties, called I.N.D.I.A., would be headed by the Congress Party’s president, Mallikarjun Kharge. I.N.D.I.A., which stands for ‘Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance’, is a group of opposition parties, including the Congress, which have joined forces to challenge the NDA, led by the BJP, and stop it from securing a third consecutive term at the Centre in the Lok Sabha elections. Most Indians think that it will end in a whimper. And that Modi, 73, and his party will win the elections decisively and secure a third term for the regime he heads.

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2024 Lok Sabha elections

INDIA Bloc Searches For PM Face; BJP Targets 50% Vote In 2024 LS Polls

By LokMarg

As the 2024 Lok Sabha elections draw near, India’s political landscape is undergoing a significant reshuffling. The emerging INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) consortium is gearing up to challenge the established National Democratic Alliance, setting the stage for an electoral showdown.

The political landscape of India is experiencing a profound transformation in anticipation of the 2024 elections. The rise of the INDIA alliance, a revamped version of the existing UPA, poses a formidable challenge to the enduring supremacy of the NDA. This transformation, characterised by shifting alliances, alterations in vote percentages, and fluctuations in seat allocations, highlights the dynamic and unpredictable nature of India’s electoral scenario.

Till now, the INDIA bloc have held four meeting. The first meeting of the joint opposition convened in Patna on June 23 and the second meeting was held in Bengaluru on July 17-18. The third meeting happened in Mumbai on August 31-September 1 and the fourth meeting was held on December 19 in the national capital.

INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) parties are seeking to put a united challenge against the BJP-led NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

The 28 parties participated in the fourth meeting and kept their thoughts before the committee of the alliance.

Challenges for INDIA bloc

Coming up to the challenges which the INDIA bloc might face are finalising a seat-sharing arrangement and agreement on a PM face.

The centrality of the Congress to the bloc was inadvertently endorsed by Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal, when they proposed Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge as the PM face of the INDIA bloc but Kharge said that the question of PM face could be decided after the Lok Sabha polls.

As the 2024 Lok Sabha elections loom just four months away, the allocation of seats becomes pivotal for the and INDIA bloc, especially after recent electoral setbacks.

This discontent among INDIA bloc leaders is not unprecedented, as evident from previous meetings.

During the Assembly elections statements made by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress state president Ajay Rai had created the rift between the parties. Later, the Congress high command had intervened and talked to the SP chief to solve the issue.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav attacked its INDIA block ally Congress on caste census, reminding them that the party did not conduct a caste census when it was in power.

“Congress is the party that did not conduct caste census after independence… When all the parties in the Lok Sabha were demanding a caste census, they did not conduct a caste census,” Akhilesh Yadav told ANI Satna in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh.

Given that concerns such as the caste census failed to strike a chord with voters in recent state elections, leaders of the INDIA bloc may reconsider their strategy and work on formulating a fresh approach.

INDIA bloc meetings

The inaugural meeting of the Opposition coalition took place in Patna, with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar being the convenor. Fifteen opposition parties participated with the aim of consolidating their forces against the Modi led central government in the impending general elections.

In the second meeting held in Bengaluru 26 opposition parties forged an alliance. During the meeting, the coalition was christened INDIA, an acronym for the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance.

In the Mumbai meeting, the opposition parties adopted resolutions to collectively contest the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections while announcing that seat-sharing arrangements would be finalized as soon as possible in a spirit of give-and-take.

Moreover, in the fourth meeting INDIA bloc addressed various issues, including seat-sharing, a joint campaign blueprint, and devising a strategy to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

The fourth meeting was held in the backdrop of escalating tensions between the government and the opposition over the suspension of parliamentarians during the winter session of Parliament.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge asserted that INDIA bloc parties will focus on seat-sharing talks at the state level, adding that if any issue arises, it will be taken up at the leadership of the alliance.

Kharge stated that all INDIA parties unanimously decided how to take the alliance forward. At least 8-10 meetings will be held together across the country.

INDIA bloc also passed the resolution on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and the suspension of MPs from Parliament.

“INDIA parties reiterate that there are many doubts on the integrity of the functioning of the EVMs. These have been raised by many experts and professionals as well. There is widespread demand for a return to the ballot paper system,” the resolution stated.

It suggested that “Instead of the VVPAT slip falling in the box, it should be handed over to the voter who shall then place it in a separate ballot box after having verified his or her choice. 100 per cent counting of VVPAT slips should then be done.

Henceforth, the key challenge before the INDIA parties is to fight the BJP unitedly in the 2024 Lok Sabha election on an alternative common programme to counter the ruling dispensation.

The INDIA alliance, marked by a spectrum of opinions from the Left’s and J-K parties’ dissatisfaction to Shiv Sena’s vocal support for the ruling, must reconcile these differences to formulate a cohesive stance. This unified stance is crucial to effectively counter the BJP’s attempt to introduce another divisive issue to polarize voters in the heartland.

How BJP gearing up for 2024 Lok Sabha Polls

As the battle for 2024 begins, the BJP undeniably maintains the upper hand. After securing victories in three crucial Hindi heartland states–Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh it being said that that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has strengthened its position to face the INDIA bloc in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The Congress party was in power in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh and was a major contender in Madhya Pradesh and Telangana. However, it only secured victory in the southern state, taking power from the dominant Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).

After which, Congress will now be in power in three states–Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana.

The 3-1 scoreline in this round of assembly elections is a comforting signal for the BJP’s poll prospects next year.

The party had crafted its campaign around the PM, his welfare interventions and larger credibility.

During the recently concluded Assembly polls, PM Modi stood as the pivotal figure for the BJP, dispelling any concern about ‘sidelining’ party stalwarts.

The PM’s resonance with the electorate, along with the “Modi ki guarantee” slogan, won over Congress’s manifesto.

By messaging and strategy, the BJP effectively communicates the mantra of ‘sabka saath, sabka vishwas, and sabka prayaas’, emphasising Modi’s inclusive governance approach.

The ruling party is going all out to capture the hearts of people for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. On December 22, the party headquarters hosted a meeting of BJP leaders from across the nation.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has set a target of achieving a 50 per cent vote share. Along with this, the party will start cluster meetings after January 15 and Yuva Morcha will hold 5000 conferences across the country.

The two-day meeting of BJP national office-bearers concluded on Saturday. In this meeting, BJP has set a target of achieving a 50 per cent vote share in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Along with this, the party will run a campaign across the country to connect with new voters. The BJP will organise programmes at booth level to connect with new voters.

According to sources, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has asked all the officials in the meeting to ensure a bumper victory margin in the Lok Sabha elections.

Cluster meetings will be organized by dividing Lok Sabhas across the country into clusters. In these clusters, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and BJP President JP Nadda will address public meetings.

Yuva Morcha will start new voter conferences on January 24. The BJP Yuva Morcha will organise 5,000 conferences across the country. Along with this, social conferences will also be organised across the country.

It was said in the meeting that party leaders should not wait for the announcement of the list of candidates. Every BJP leader must now gear up to ensure victory by a record margin in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections

It is expected that the BJP will begin an extensive campaign for the elections that are not even six months away.

As the BJP government aims to transform India into a developed nation by the year 2047, the BJP has begun the Viksit Bharat campaign, named Viksit Bharat@2047

The outcomes have strengthened Modi’s role as the triumphant figurehead for the party. Despite Congress’s efforts to buck the anti-incumbency trend, Modi’s guarantees and the BJP’s persistent emphasis on highlighting Congress’s shortcomings thwarted their endeavours.

The safety-first stance of the opposition parties stems from the BJP’s assembly wins, which it plans to build upon with the upcoming inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, raising concerns that the insertion of the Jammu and Kashmir issue into the debate will further help the BJP paint the opposition as pandering to the “vote-bank”.

It is expected that the BJP, in its campaign, will highlight the Ram Temple that will be inaugurated in Ayodhya on January 22, 2024, just a few months ahead of the national elections.

Along with this, BJP has decided to run a campaign for Ram Mandir celebrations starting January 1, in which BJP workers will go door to door in all the villages across the country and encourage ten crore families to participate in Diya Lightning programs for Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

The BJP is likely to highlight its success stories over its two terms at the Centre, including, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the Pardhan Mantri Awas Yojna, Digital India, the success of Chandrayaan 3 and various other schemes that have benefited the citizens.

With these victories in the three states, the BJP, along with its allies, now controls 17 states.

The evolving political narrative in India will play a crucial role in influencing the upcoming elections, necessitating careful scrutiny.

Earlier in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the NDA won 353 seats, the UPA stood at 91, and Others won 98. The voting was staggered in seven phases between April 11 and May 19, in which around 67 per cent of the nearly 900 million eligible people exercised their franchise to elect 542 members of the Lok Sabha.

The 2024 Lok Sabha elections will be held next year that is likely to be between the Modi government’s NDA alliance and the INDIA bloc. (ANI)

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Rahul Gandhi National Democratic Alliance (NDA) MP Smriti Irani

NDA Women MPs Demand Action Against Rahul For Making Inappropriate Gesture In House

By LokMarg

Demanding strict action against Rahul Gandhi, National Democratic Alliance (NDA) women MPs wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker OM Birla alleging the Congress MP of making inappropriate gesture and displaying indecent behaviour in the House.

“I would like to drew your attention towards the incident in the House by Rahul Gandhi, MP from Wayanad, Kerala. The said member has behaved in an indecent manner and making inappropriate gesture towards Smriti Irani, Union Minister and Member of this House while she was addressing the House. We demand stringent action against such behaviour by the Manner, which has not only insulted the dignity women members in the House, it has also brought disrepute and lowered the dignity of this august House,” the letter read.

Bharatiya Janata Janata Party (BJP) MP Smriti Irani alleged Rahul Gandhi of ‘misbehaviour’ on the floor of the Lok Sabha. 

Without naming Rahul Gandhi, Irani said, “I object to something. The one who was given the chance to speak before me displayed indecency before leaving. It is only a misogynistic man who can give a flying kiss to a Parliament which seats female members of Parliament. Such undignified conduct was never before seen in the Parliament of the country…”

“When the House of the People, where laws are made to protect the dignity of women, during the course of a session stands witness to a man’s misogyny, my question is should he be brought to task?” she added.

In a complaint, signed by more than 20 women parliamentarians, it was alleged that the Congress member made the “inappropriate gesture” towards Irani when was speaking in the House.

Meamwhile, Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shobha Karandlaje also said that they have filed a complaint against Rahul Gandhi’s unparliamentary behaviour.

“This is inappropriate and indecent behaviour of a Member. Senior members are telling that this has never happened in the history of Parliament of India…What is this behaviour? What kind of a leader is he? That is why, we have complained to the Speaker to take CCTV footage of it and take action against him. This is what we have demanded,” she added. (ANI)

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National Democratic Alliance (NDA) 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

LS 2024: Modi To Hold Meetings With NDA MPs From Tomorrow

By LokMarg

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to hold meetings with groups of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) MPs between July 31 and August 10 as the alliance gears up for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Earlier on Tuesday, BJP leaders held a meeting in the national capital in which 10 groups of NDA MPs were formed to deliberate on programmes for the 2024 general election, party sources said.
The groups have been formed as part of efforts to bring more synergy to the poll efforts of NDA constituents.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to hold Cluster -1 meetings with groups of NDA MPs from West Uttar Pradesh, Bundelkhand and Brij region on Monday at 6 PM at Maharashtra Sadan. BJP National President JP Nadda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit shah will also be present at the meeting, a source told ANI.

The Cluster -2 meetings with groups of NDA MPs from West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha are scheduled at 7 PM on Monday at the Parliament Annexe building. Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh will be present at the meeting.

“Ten groups of MPs have been formed. PM Modi is to chair the meetings of each group,” a source told ANI. Meetings on the first day will have MPs from Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Odisha, the source added.

The BJP will also celebrate the 25th anniversary of the NDA, with the ruling alliance seeking to set the narrative for the 2024 poll battle.

Sources said Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Amit Shah, and Rajnath Singh, along with BJP chief JP Nadda have been given the responsibility of coordinating with the NDA leaders.

Four leaders including Bhupendra Yadav, Sarbananda Sonowal, Tarun Chugh, and Rituraj, have been given the responsibility for the NDA programmes. Four more leaders including Prahlad Patel, Arjun Ram Meghwal, and V. Muraleedharan are also associated with them. There will also be another team of ministers and MPs who will be assisting in these tasks.

Apart from the Parliament, programmes will also be held in different state bhavans in the national capital like that of Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.

This is the first time that the leaders of the alliance will have region-wise deliberations. The BJP is working on a plan to secure a 50 per cent vote share in the Lok Sabha election along with allies, sources said.

The BJP leadership has identified 160 relatively weak constituencies and the party is putting up extra efforts to turn around its prospects in those constituencies.

With the opposition putting up a united front, the NDA led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), held a mega meeting on July 18. The BJP-led NDA has 38 parties under its fold. (ANI)

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Rajnath

Rajnath To Chair All Party Meet Today Ahead Of Parliament Monsoon Session

By LokMarg

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to chair an all party meeting on Wednesday afternoon, convened by the Central government for the smooth functioning of the monsoon session of Parliament which begins on Thursday.

While the opposition parties will apprise the government of the issues they intend to raise during the session, the government also has prepared its legislative agenda.
Apart from it, a meeting of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) floor leaders is also scheduled for today.

The monsoon session of  Parliament will continue till August 11.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi has urged all parties to contribute towards productive discussions on legislative business and other items during the session.

There will be a total of 17 sittings during the session.

The Monsoon session will start in the old Parliament building.

Opposition parties held a unity meeting in Bengaluru on Tuesday and decided that the group will be called Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). Leaders from 26 opposition parties attended the two-day Bengaluru meeting, the second such meeting after the first meeting held in Patna.

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance also held a meeting which was addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The bill to replace the ordinance over control of services in Delhi is expected to come up during the monsoon session.

The Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Bill 2023, which received Cabinet nod earlier this month, is also expected to be introduced.

Meanwhile, the Congress is demanding discussions on several issues, including the Manipur situation, and assault on federal structures among others. (ANI)

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Omar Abdullah

Why BJP Suddenly Revived Idea Of NDA: Omar

By LokMarg

As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) decided to hold a meeting of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the National Capital on Tuesday, coinciding with the Opposition party meeting which was convened in Karnataka’s Bengaluru, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah slammed the party for ‘suddenly reviving the idea of NDA’.

“When was the last time an NDA meeting was held? Why have they (BJP) suddenly revived the idea of NDA? For them (BJP) alliance has become a necessity…,” Omar Abdullah said while talking to the reporters here.
Omar Abdullah was among the leaders of 26 like-minded parties that were part of the second Opposition meeting held in Bengaluru on Tuesday.

A meeting of 38 parties of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was convened in the national capital on Tuesday.

On the other hand, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti who was also representing the Union Territory with Abdullah said that everything on which the country stands is at stake.

“This is not a time for us to be proud of whatever is happening in the country because people outside our country are pointing fingers at us… So I think today our country, not only internally we are going through a turmoil where the very existence on which our country stands, everything is at stake,” Mufti said.

The second and concluding day of the opposition unity meeting in Bengaluru was held, with 26 like-minded parties closing ranks with a common aim of taking on the Bharatiya Janata Party in the next year’s Lok Sabha polls.

In the meeting, it was decided that the Opposition front will be known as

I.N.D.I.A – the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance.

On Tuesday, while addressing the media after the meeting, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said, “Earlier, we were UPA and now all the 26 parties have given a name to the opposition and that is – Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). Everybody has agreed upon this, and the resolution for the name was passed unanimously.”

He further said, “The BJP wants to destroy democracy, Constitution, using autonomous bodies like CBI, ED, vigilance all such institutions against opposition party leaders and workers. This is a grave situation. We have come together to save this situation. How to save the country and the people of the country — this is the issue before us.”

Asked who will lead the alliance, Kharge said, “We are making a coordination committee of 11. At that meeting in Mumbai, we will decide on who the 11 will be, who the Convenor will be, etc. These are small things”.

Kharge further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is afraid of opposition parties coming together.

“NDA is holding a meeting with 30 parties. I have not heard about so many parties in India. Earlier they didn’t hold any meetings but now they are meeting one by one (with NDA parties) PM Modi is now afraid of opposition parties. We have gathered here to save democracy and the Constitution,” Kharge said. (ANI)

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