NDA Parliamentary Party to hold weekly 'Mangal Milan' meeting at Parliament Library Building
New Delhi, August 4
The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance Parliamentary Party is set to hold its weekly 'Mangal Milan' meeting on Tuesday at the GMC Balayogi Auditorium in the Parliament Library Building.
Leaders of the alliance have started arriving at the venue ahead of the meeting, which is scheduled to begin at 9:30 am.
NCPI MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay arrived at the Parliament Library Building to attend the NDA Parliamentary Party's weekly 'Mangal Milan' meeting.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, Bandyopadhyay said, "I will attend the NDA parliamentary party meeting for the first time today. I am one of the senior-most parliamentarians in the country. All are united in NCPI."
Earlier, three of NCPI leaders belonging to the minority community skipped the NDA 'Mangal Milan' meeting held last week. The party has sought to reject speculation of a rift, but Trinamool Congress leaders said that the three parliamentarians do not wish to join the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.
NCPI leaders Abu Taher Khan, Khalilur Rahman, and Yusuf Pathan did not attend the NDA meeting, the first time the party had attended the meeting of the ruling alliance at the Centre.
Twenty rebel Trinamool Congress MPs had left the party after its defeat in the assembly polls and announced that they are joining the Nationalist Citizens Party of India. The party said it will support the NDA.
TMC MP Saugata Roy on Friday added to the speculations and said the three MPs do not want to align with the BJP.
I was told that they (NCPI leaders Abu Taher Khan, Khalilur Rahman, and Yusuf Pathan) do not wish to join the NDA; they do not want to align with the BJP, which is why they boycotted it... Discussions are underway; talks are happening. Nothing has been finalised yet. When they left the Trinamool, it wasn't decided that they would join the BJP... It is becoming difficult for these people to answer to their community," he said.
However, the meeting concluded with Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju addressing the coalition lawmakers in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Union Minister of Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal and Union Minister for Panchayati Raj and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Rajiv Ranjan Singh also addressed the gathering.
While Union Minister Piyush Goyal addressed the party members regarding the success and strategic impact of India's recent Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh spoke about the growth, government initiatives, and future roadmap for the development of the country's fisheries sector.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other NDA leaders were also in attendance.
The NDA's weekly 'Mangal Milan' is taking place during a stormy Monsoon Session; exam reforms and Opposition protests over alleged police action on students and the Ram Mandir donation case are among the major issues.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Interesting that three NCPI leaders from minority communities skipped the meeting. The TMC is clearly trying to create a narrative. But honestly, Indian politics is all about such maneuvering - let's see who blinks first!
The focus on FTAs and fisheries development in the meeting is good, but I hope they also discussed exam reforms and student concerns. Those are real issues affecting our youth. Infrastructure and trade are important, but we need to hear about education too.
Why the rush to merge with NDA? These MLAs left TMC due to defeat but should have waited. The minority community connection is sensitive - their leaders are caught between community expectations and political ambitions. Very tricky situation 🙏
Weekly meetings are all fine and good, but let's not forget what's happening in Manipur. Also, Ram Mandir donation controversy needs to be addressed transparently. Governance is more than just alliance-building.
Actually, this shows the NDA is functioning well under PM Modi's leadership. Remember when such coalition meetings rarely happened? At least they are coordinating regularly. Kiren Rijiju does a good job managing parliamentary affairs.
M Meera T As a Bengali, I'm We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.