NDA is committed to the principle of nation-first, says Modi

NDA is committed to the principle of nation-first, and will work 24x7 to ensure respect for 'my mother India' and take our country to new heights, NDA's prime minister-designate Narendra Modi told the NDA parliamentary meeting at the central hall of the parliament.

Modi said that the overwhelming majority given by the people also showed that people have accepted the growth-oriented policies of the NDA government for the past 10 years.

Thanking the electorate for the majority, he said that NDA has laid a new foundation stone for different politics in south India. "After the assembly elections, new governments were formed in Karnataka and Telangana. But the electorate rejected them and voted NDA in majority," he said.

In Kerala, Modi said, the party has lost many workers to political killings. "Our success is built on th sacrfice of our countless workers. We lost many to political violence. Be it UDF or LDF, our workers faced persecution for their belief in a political ideology. We probably lost more workers in Kerala than in Jammu and Kashmir. Even when they saw no silver lining in the cloud, they worked tireless and now for the first time in history we have a representative from the state.

Modi on Friday said he would strive to ensure unanimity in all decisions of his next government and asserted that the NDA is an organic alliance committed to the principle of 'nation first'.

Modi also said the NDA government in the next 10 years will focus on good governance, development, quality of life and minimum interference in the lives of common citizens. He said mutual trust was at the core of this alliance and they were committed to the principle of 'sarv pantha sambhava' (religious equlity).

"If we look at it in terms of numbers in the history of coalitions, this is the strongest coalition government," Modi said, asserting the NDA knows it very well to digest victory. "We have never lost. Our conduct following June 4 shows that we know how to digest victory," the prime minister said, and attacked opposition parties.

"There were efforts to not acknowledge this very victory, to cast a 'shadow of defeat' on this victory. But all such efforts remained fruitless... Such things 'die very young', and it happened," Modi said at the meeting of the NDA Parliamentary Party.

"This is the most successful alliance in the history of our country. It has completed three successful terms and is now entering its fourth. The NDA is not a grouping of parties that have come together to get power, it is committed to the principle of 'nation first'," he added.

Modi said "INDI alliance" parties have already started saying they came together only for the Lok Sabha polls. Such an approach showed their character, hunger for power, he said. "For me the NDA stands for New India, Developed India, Aspirational India," he said.

"Our 10 years were just a trailer. We will work much harder and faster for the development of our country. People know that we will deliver," Modi said.

The prime minister said he had been missing parliamentary debates and hoped that the Opposition MPs also contribute to nation-building when they come to parliament.

Taking a dig at the Congress, he said the opposition party could not even touch the 100 seats mark, and that their total seats in the last three LS polls were fewer than the BJP's tally in this election alone. "We are glad to note that for the first time, one of our representatives has emerged victorious in Kerala. We have been having a brilliant performance in Arunachal Pradesh. In Sikkim also, we have almost registered a 'clean sweep'. In Andhra Pradesh, it is a historic victory. The way NDA's vote share has increased in Tamil Nadu clearly shows what is in the offing," Modi said.

"In the last 10 years, we worked to make the country touch new heights of success. A common thing that exists amongst all the leadership pillars of NDA is Good Governance," Modi said. "Whenever given the chance to serve, each and every leader of the NDA has ensured Good Governance across Bharat. The NDA has become synonymous with Good Governance," Modi said.

After the meeting, NDA leaders met President Droupadi Murmu and stake claim to form the next government.
(With PTI inputs)