Non-NDA parties may have to form alliance for opposition status, Modi says

 

Varanasi, 17 May 2014 (PTI): Fresh from BJP’s massive electoral victory in the Lok Sabha polls, Narendra Modi on Saturday had a dig at the opposition saying parties outside the ruling coalition may have to stitch an alliance to formally attain the status of an opposition in the Lower House.

 

Addressing a large gathering on the banks of Ganga during his first visit to this ancient temple town after winning the Varanasi seat by a huge margin of 3.7 lakh votes, he said, "So far, the country has always been ruled either by the Congress or, except for the period under (Atal) Vajpayee’s rule, by loose coalitions headed by people formerly associated with the Congress."

 

"This election marks a new beginning even on that count," Modi said in his nearly 30-minute-speech at the Dashashwamedh Ghat.

 

"The people of the country have given a tight slap to all those parties which are not with the NDA. Now all these parties may end up forming an alliance just to attain the status of a formally recognizable opposition," he said.

 

The main opposition party must hold at least 1/10th of the total Lok Sabha seats. Congress suffered its worst electoral defeat bagging just 44 seats.

 

"This is a turning point in the country’s history as for the first time the leadership is going to fall in the hands of a generation which was born in the post-Independence era," Modi said.