New Delhi: Leaders of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) met here at BJP president J P Nadda’s residence on Wednesday on the birth centenary of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, JD-U leader and Union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Apna Dal (S) president and Union minister Anupriya Patel, as well as JD (S) leader and Union minister H D Kumaraswamy, were present at the meeting.
Bihar’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (S) leader Jitan Ram Manjhi, also a minister in the Modi government, Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) president Upendra Kushwaha, a Rajya Sabha MP, and Thushar Vellappally, president of Bharath Dharma Jana Sena, were also present at the meeting.
Though there was no official word on the agenda of the meeting, sources said good governance and political issues were discussed.
Good governance was a key theme of the Vajpayee government.
It was decided to hold a meeting of the alliance on the birth anniversary of the BJP stalwart, who is credited with successfully running the first coalition government for its full term.
“Attended the NDA leaders’ meeting in New Delhi today. Under the visionary leadership of PM Narendra Modi, India is achieving unprecedented milestones and has positioned itself as a global superpower,” Nadda said in a post on X after the meeting.
“The NDA government remains steadfast in its pursuit of the vision of ‘Viksit Bharat@2047’, ensuring a brighter and more prosperous future for all,” he added.
Uttar Pradesh’s NISHAD Party chief Sanjay Nishad said it was an “informal” meeting of the NDA leaders on the occasion of the birth centenary of Vajpayee.
“Our future strategy is to move forward together. We have to show unity in all the upcoming elections…everyone congratulated (the BJP leaders) in the meeting for the victory in Haryana and Maharashtra assembly polls,” he told reporters when asked about the meeting.
Nishad said the meeting also discussed coalition strategy to ensure that “all the work” done by Prime Minister Modi reaches the ground and “promises made to people during elections” are fulfilled.
The issue of giving reservation to the fishing community was also raised at the meeting, he said.
“I gave 30-37 page evidence on the issue of giving reservation to the fishing community since it was a poll promise. They will call (us) after a week and discuss it,” Nishad said.
Asked if issue of Shah’s remarks on Ambedkar came up at the meeting, the NISHAD Party chief said, “…We have come for people’s welfare. How to get success in that, energy needs to be spent on that.”
“There is no need to respond to their narrative and negative thoughts,” he added in an apparent reference to the Congress and other opposition parties who are up in arms against Shah over his remarks.
The NDA meeting comes amid the alliance’s focus on simultaneous elections, with all constituents lending support to the proposal.
A Joint Committee of Parliament, constituted to scrutinise two bills for simultaneous polls, is expected to meet on January 8.
