NE NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, JUNE 5
An INDIA bloc leaders meeting held for nearly two hours on Wednesday at the residence of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi on Wednesday evening to discuss the strategy after the poll results.
The constituents of the INDIA Bloc thank the people of India for the overwhelming support received by our alliance. The people’s mandate has given a befitting reply to the BJP and their politics of hate, corruption and deprivation. This is a political and moral defeat of Prime… pic.twitter.com/oWyQSrxWBR
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) June 5, 2024
Several INDIA bloc leaders arrived at the Congress President’s house to attend the meeting.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has secured a third term, but the BJP will need the support of other parties in his coalition, primarily JD (U) chief Nitish Kumar and TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu
- This is a mandate in defence of the Constitution of India and against price rise, unemployment and crony capitalism and also to save democracy: Kharge
They have resolved to fight against the “fascist rule” of the BJP-led government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Sharing my Opening Remarks at the INDIA parties meeting —
1. I welcome all INDIA Alliance partners. We fought well, fought unitedly, fought resolutely.
2. The mandate is decisively against Mr. Modi, against him and the substance and style of his politics. It is a huge… pic.twitter.com/LneVs8Xbzj
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) June 5, 2024
Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi ; Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin; Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, his uncle Ram Gopal Yadav; Congress leader KC Venugopal; Kalpana Soren, JMM MLA and wife of former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren; Revolutionary Socialist Party leader NK Premachandran; Jharkhand CM Champai Soren; AAP MP Raghav Chaddha and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav; CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, NCP (SCP) chief Sharad Pawar and leader Supriya Sule; Dipankar Bhattacharya, General secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation were present at this crucial meeting.
According to the Election Commission of India, the BJP won 240 seats, much lower than its 2019 tally of 303. The Congress, on the other hand, registered a strong improvement, winning 99 seats. While the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance won 292 seats, the INDIA bloc crossed the 230 mark, posing stiff competition, and defying all predictions.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has secured a third term, but the BJP will need the support of other parties in his coalition, primarily JD (U) chief Nitish Kumar and TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said the people’s mandate has given a befitting reply to the BJP and their politics of hate, corruption and deprivation. “This is a mandate in defence of the Constitution of India and against price rise, unemployment and crony capitalism and also to save democracy,” he said.
“The INDIA bloc will continue to fight against the fascist rule of the BJP led by Modi. We will take appropriate steps at the appropriate time to realise the people’s desire not to be ruled by the BJP’s government,” added Kharge
Kharge said Modi retaining prime ministership amounts to subverting the will of the people. “The mandate is decisively against Mr Modi, against him and the substance and style of his politics. It is a huge political loss for him personally apart from being a clear moral defeat as well,” he said.
There are indications that while no proactive efforts are being made at the moment to cobble up numbers, the alliance was open to the idea of getting more parties on board. This was articulated by Kharge when he said, “the INDIA alliance welcomes all parties which share its fundamental commitment to the values enshrined in the Preamble to our Constitution and to its many provisions for economic, social and political justice.”
Congress workers were heard raising slogans in support of party leader Rahul Gandhi outside the residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi.