Launching a scathing attack on the newly formed coalition of opposition parties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that in comparison the 38-member National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is a rainbow of regional aspirations and not an avenue for narrow political gains.

On the same day, twenty-six political parties including the Congress and the TMC came together to form the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).

“People of this country know that they (INDIA) are coming together not because of a mission, but out of political compulsions. They underestimate the power of the common man, who is closely watching everything. In NDA, N means a New India, D is for a Developed Nation, and A means Aspirations of people and regions,”Modi said in his address after the meeting of the NDA.

The Prime Minister emphasised that NDA has changed the narrative from the politics of vote bank to politics of development.

“We (NDA) is a rainbow of regional aspirations. We are all equal and nobody is big or small. In the last nine years, we have worked towards the upliftment of the poor. NDA was not formed in opposition to any party but to bring stability to the country,” he added.

Attacking the previous UPA government, Modi said that before 2014, the coalition government survived, but it led to policy paralysis.

Expressing confidence in the success of the NDA for a third straight term at the centre, Modi said that earlier when elections were due, foreign governments would wait for the final results before meeting with the government. But, today, countries such as the US, the UK and Japan are inviting government ministers.

“I am confident that we will come for a third term. Your work for the people has brought them closer to us and the common man has made his mind. In 2014, we got 38 per cent of the votes polled, which rose to 45 per cent in 2019. In fact, in around 225 seats, which we won, NDA has secured 50 per cent of the vote share,” he noted.

For NDA, it is nation first, security of the nation first, progress first and empowerment of people first and politics later, the Prime Minister emphasised.

Attacking the newly formed alliance, INDIA, Modi said that coalitions formed for narrow political gains or for dynastic politics or with caste and regionalism are “harmful” for the country. India has a long tradition of political coalitions, but alliances formed on the “basis of negativity” never succeed.