'The Indian bloc should be prepared to oppose…': Amit Shah claims to form NDA government again in 2029

Union Home Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Amit Shah on Sunday took a veiled jibe at opposition parties questioning the strength of the BJP-led New Democratic Alliance government at the centre, saying the bloc should prepare for a 2029 general election. Later joined the opposition party.

The union minister, while addressing the inauguration ceremony of 24×7 Manimajra Water Supply Scheme in Chandigarh, said that the NDA alliance will not only complete its term but will also form the government in 2029.

“I assure you, let the opposition do whatever they want, NDA will come in 2029, Modi will come. They (opposition) don’t know that the BJP won more seats in this election than the Congress won in the last 3 times There are more seats in the election. They don't know that the only member of the NDA, the BJP, has more seats than their entire alliance has,” he said.

Shah also lambasted the opposition parties and said the Indian group wanted to sow instability and they had to learn the proper way of working in the opposition.

“These people who want to sow instability have repeatedly said that this government will not last. I have come to assure them that not only will the government complete its term, but the next government will also be an NDA and ready to sit in the opposition, Learn the right way to work in opposition.

His remarks came after several opposition leaders repeatedly claimed that the recently formed New Democratic Alliance government was unstable and claimed that the government might not complete its term.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier said that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led New Democratic Alliance government at the Center was unstable. “This government (which took office on June 9) may not stay in power. This is not a stable government,” she said.

In early June, AAP leader Sanjay Singh claimed that the coalition government at the Center would not stay in power for more than a year and that whenever there was an opportunity, the Indian bloc would emerge as an alternative.

In the recent Lok Sabha elections, the New Democratic Alliance led by the Bharatiya Janata Party won a majority with 292 seats, while the Bharatiya Janata Party became the largest party with 240 seats. The alliance's partners TDP and JD(U) won 16 and 12 seats respectively.

Modi is serving his third consecutive term as prime minister, the first since Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister.

The Indian group secured 233 seats. Others won 18 seats in the lower house of parliament. Congress gained 99 seats. The Samajwadi Party won 37 seats and the Trinamool Congress 29 seats.

(Based on input from each agency)