Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut stated on Wednesday that the BJP would provide an “unstable government” and emphasized that Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu and Janata Dal-United (JD U) leader Nitish Kumar must decide whether they want to align with those who threaten democracy.
Responding to questions about the chances of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc forming the central government, Raut said in Hindi, “Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar are everyone’s friends. I don’t think they should support those who pose a threat to democracy and the constitution.”
He added, “Where does BJP have the majority? They are stuck on 237-240 seats. I believe that Modi ji and BJP don’t have the majority. They want to give an unstable government. It is not Modi ji’s role to run such a government. He used to talk about Modi ki sarkar, Modi ki guarantee…If they try to form a government, it will not last. We have the mandate and the numbers.”
INDIA bloc leaders are set to meet 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 dismissed suggestions of defecting to the opposition alliance.
Key opposition leaders, including 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, are expected to attend the meeting, along with Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. It remains unconfirmed whether Mamata Banerjee and Uddhav Thackeray will attend.
The BJP is short of the 272-seat majority mark and is hoping to form the government for a third term with its allies.
With the support of 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 can potentially cross the halfway mark.
