Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut stated on Wednesday that the BJP would provide an ‘unstable government.’ He urged Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar of Janata Dal-United (JD-U) to consider whether they want to ally with those who threaten democracy.
Raut was addressing questions about the prospects of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc forming the central government. Speaking in Hindi, he remarked, ‘Ab Nitish Kumar aur Chandrababu sabhi ke dost hain…Mujhe nahi lagta hai ki Chandrababu and Nitish Kumar jaise log desh ke loktantra aur samvindhan ko jin logon se khatra hai unke saath jaayenge. (Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar are everyone’s friends. I don’t think they should support those who pose a threat to the democracy and the constitution.)’
He further commented, ‘Where does the BJP have a majority? They are stuck at 237-240 seats. I believe that Modi ji and the BJP lack a majority. They aim to provide an unstable government. Running such a government is not Modi ji’s forte. He used to speak about ‘Modi’s government, Modi’s guarantee’… If they attempt to form a government, it won’t last. We have the mandate and the numbers.’
#WATCH | On chances of INDIA alliance forming govt, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut says, “…Ab Nitish Kumar aur Chandrababu sabhi ke dost hain…Mujhe nahi lagta hai ki Chandrababu and Nitish Kumar jaise log desh ke loktantra aur samvindhan ko jin logon se khatra hai unke… pic.twitter.com/5SMMNiYx6A
— ANI (@ANI) June 5, 2024
The leaders of the INDIA bloc will convene at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence on Wednesday evening to discuss the Lok Sabha poll results, strategize on forming the government, and consider reaching out to former allies Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu.
The TDP and JD(U) have already rejected suggestions of defecting to the opposition alliance.
Opposition leaders expected to attend the meeting include NCP-SP’s Sharad Pawar, DMK’s MK Stalin, JMM’s Champai Soren, TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee, Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav, RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, CPM’s Sitaram Yechury, and CPI’s D Raja, along with Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. However, it is still unconfirmed whether Mamata Banerjee and Uddhav Thackeray will be present.
The BJP, falling short of the 272-seat majority mark, is aiming to form the government for a third time with its allies.
With support from Naidu’s TDP in Andhra Pradesh and Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) in Bihar, which won 16 and 12 Lok Sabha seats respectively, and other alliance partners, the NDA could surpass the halfway mark.
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