NEW DELHI: Both the Congress and the BJP on Monday hit out at each other for the opposition meeting in Bengaluru on July 18 and the latter’s focus on strengthening the NDA. While the BJP termed the opposition meet as an opportunistic alliance, the Congress claimed that the BJP’s re-emphasis on NDA was a result of the opposition’s Patna meeting.
Both the Congress and BJP engaged in a war of words a day ahead of the opposition meeting. Talking to media persons at Delhi in the BJP headquarters, party president JP Nadda alleged that the opposition parties were a bunch of corruption and scams worth Rs 20 lakh crore and many of their leaders were out on bail.
He said, “As far as UPA is concerned, it is such a coalition which neither has a leader, nor intention, nor policy, nor has the power to take decisions. This is a bunch of corruption and scams of the 10 years of the UPA government.”
Lok Sabha MP Ravi Shankar Prasad called the opposition meeting as opportunistic.
He said, “This is the opportunistic alliance which is meeting in Bengaluru. They will learn from the Kejriwal government regarding flood mismanagement. They will learn from Mamata Banerjee how to stifle democracy, about teacher recruitment scam and coal scam. They will learn from Lalu Prasad about fodder and coaltar scams.”
He claimed that there is no vacancy at the Centre after the 2024 Lok Sabha election. “It is nothing but an opportunistic alliance in the craving for power. It will neither take care of India's present or future.”
Talking about NDA partners, Prasad said the BJP had won a historic mandate in 2014 under the leadership of Narendra Modi and the coalition partners were given due respect in the council of ministers.
He said again in 2019, Modi was given more than 300 seats and the NDA partners were again accorded due respect. “We maintain relations with those with whom we establish relations,” he said.
About the opposition’s Bengaluru meeting, Prasad said, “It is an alliance of opportunists. There is less mutual understanding and coordination. There is more about give and take. Who will give how much and who will take how much. This will not provide stability to the nation.”
The BJP-led NDA is meeting on Tuesday evening. Nadda said 38 parties will participate in the meeting. It is being seen as a show of strength by the ruling alliance at a time when the opposition parties are converging in Bengaluru the same day.
Hitting out at the BJP and the NDA meeting, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the saffron party is "baffled" by what the opposition is doing and hence gathering "factions of parties."
"If he (PM Modi) is stronger than the entire Opposition and he alone is enough for them, why is he calling together the 30 parties? Disclose the names of these parties. Are they even registered with the Election Commission? People with us have always been with us...They are baffled by what we are doing, so they are gathering factions of parties to show their strength," Kharge said.
Earlier, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal hit out at the ruling BJP-led government at the Centre accusing it of misusing probe agencies for its political ends and said that the meeting of opposition parties in Bengaluru “will be a game-changer" for India’s politics.
Addressing a press conference here as opposition parties gather in Bengaluru for the meeting, Venugopal alleged that the BJP wants to “silence the voice of opposition” and said the disqualification of party leader Rahul Gandhi from Lok Sabha and developments in Maharashtra are examples.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has suddenly remembered the NDA.
"Attempts are being made to breathe new life into the NDA. There used to be no talk about NDA and suddenly since the past few days we are hearing and reading about it. Suddenly, it was reported that an NDA meeting has been called for tomorrow. So NDA, which had become a ghost, attempts are now being made to breathe a new life into it," Ramesh said.
This is a result of the meeting in Patna, he added.
