Prime Minster Narendra Modi took a dig at the opposition parties dismissing their attempt to present a united front against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliace (NDA) in the upcoming Lok Sabha election. PM Modi said the elusive grand-alliance is a “mahamilawat” (adulteration), which the people will reject in the elections.

“The people of India have seen the work a government with a full majority can do. They have seen the work of NDA. They do not want a ‘mahamilawat’ government of those who assembled in Kolkata,” PM Modi said in a reference to the rally of 23 opposition parties in West Bengal last month.

“In 2014, the people of the country elected a government with full majority and the country experiences what happens when there is a ‘milawati’ (coalition) government. Now, they are planning ‘mahamilawat’. This ‘mahamilawat’ is not going to reach here (in Delhi). Keep this limited to Kolkata,” he said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had organised a ‘United India’ rally on January 19, which was participated by nearly two dozen political parties including the Congress. Earlier, PM Modi had responded to the opposition unity saying, “the entire opposition has come together and is shouting ‘bachao, bachao, bachao’ (save us, save us, save us).”

In the Lok Sabha on Thursday, the prime minister targeted the opposition parties over their criticism of the NDA government. He said, “In hating Modi, the opposition has begun to defame the nation.”

The prime minister launched the attack on the opposition during his reply to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address in Parliament. PM Modi said India has seen remarkable progress in all spheres the last four years.

Earlier in the day, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge launched a scathing attack on the Narendra Modi government. He said the present regime is “full of hatred” and deliberately ignores the contribution of previous governments in building India.

“He (PM Modi) knows what we have done. Still he asks what have you done in the last 60 years...He wants to mislead the new generation to believe that it is only his government which has done things for the country,” Kharge said.

First Published: Feb 07, 2019 19:14 IST