NDA Parliamentary meeting: Modi elected to become PM for third time

NEWLY elected MPs of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Friday unanimously passed a resolution making Narendra Modi their parliamentary party leader.

Also, they endorsed him as prime minister during a high-profile meeting at Parliament Central Hall.

In addition to the prominent BJP leaders, the meeting was attended by alliance partners TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu, JDU's Nitish Kumar and LJP leader Chirag Paswan. After the NDA meeting, the prime minister visited party stalwarts LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi at their residences.

Here are 10 updates from the NDA meeting:

*Defence Minister Rajnath Singh proposed the name of Narendra Modi as the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Parliamentary Party, setting the stage for his third term as the Prime Minister, which was backed by party colleagues Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari and other top leaders of the NDA. The Defence minister also credits PM Modi for expanding the BJP-led NDA, saying that the alliance is not a compulsion but a commitment for the BJP. 

*Key members of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance backed Prime Minister Modi for a third consecutive term. TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu said, “Narendra Modi has a vision and a zeal, his execution is very perfect. He is executing all his policies with a true spirit...Today, India is having the right leader - that is Narendra Modi. This is a very good opportunity for India, if you miss now, we will miss forever..." “We are very confident under his leadership India will become the 1st or 2nd largest economy in the next 5 years," Naidu added.

*JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar accepted the proposal to elect PM Modi as the alliance's prime ministerial candidate.Hitting out at the Opposition INDIA alliance, the Bihar Chief Minister said that his party will be with PM Modi at all times. “Opposition bloc has not done any work for country, I will be with PM Modi at all times. All the pending works of Bihar will be done. It is a very good thing that all of us have come together and we will all work together with you (PM Modi)."

*LJP leader Chirag Paswan congratulates PM Modi on being elected as Leader of House. "Today, the NDA parliamentary party meeting was held. All the MPs were present there. And our PM (Narendra Modi) was elected as the leader of the NDA parliamentary party. He was also elected as the Leader of the House. I congratulate the PM on my party's behalf," Paswan said.

*Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi respectfully touched the Constitution of India with his forehead after he arrived for the NDA Parliamentary Party meeting. “ Every moment of my life is dedicated to upholding the noble values enshrined in the Constitution of India, given to us by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. It is only due to the Constitution that a person like me, born into poverty and in a backward family, is able to serve the nation. Our Constitution gives crores of people hope, strength and dignity", he said.

*Modi took a dig at the Opposition for their claims of tampered Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), stating that the election results on June 4 disproved all their allegations and demonstrated the integrity of the voting machine and electoral process, effectively silencing their complaints. He added that when the results were being announced on Tuesday, he asked someone if the EVMs were still alive or dead. 

*"When results were coming out on 4th June, I was busy with work. Phone calls started coming in later. I asked someone, numbers are fine, tell me EVM zinda hai ki mar gaya. These people (Opposition) had decided to ensure that people stopped believing in democracy and the democratic process of India. They continuously abused EVM," news agency ANI quoted Modi as saying.

*PM-designate Modi accused the Opposition of misleading people during elections. "They (INDIA bloc) have been lying to such extent... the slips they distributed among people during the elections to mislead them; for the last two days, I have been seeing people in long queues outside the Congress office, asking for ₹1 lakh money... How you misled the people... they thought they will get the money after June 4, and now they are beaten and thrown out." 

*"People want us to deliver more than before, public wants us to break our own records; and if I keep NDA on one side and people's aspirations and resolutions, then I will say NDA - New India, Developed India, Aspirational India. To fulfil this dream and resolve is our commitment and we have a roadmap for that," Modi said.

*Very few people talk about it... maybe it doesn't suit them but look at the strength of India's democracy that people gave NDA the opportunity to form governments and serve people in 22 states. This alliance of ours reflects India's spirit in the true sense," Modi said.