New Delhi:
The election for the post of Speaker – a rare event in the history of the Lok Sabha – will take place today, with a recharged Opposition forcing a contest. The numbers, though, appear to give the government an advantage.

Here are the top 10 updates on this big story

Starting off the first Parliament session in his third term on the front foot, the Prime Minister launched an ‘Emergency’ attack towards the main Opposition Congress before the Lok Sabha met this morning.

Addressing the media before the House met, the Prime Minister said this June 25 — tomorrow — will mark the 50th anniversary of the Emergency and called it a “black spot” on the country’s democracy.

This Parliament sessions comes after the general elections and the Opposition is buoyed by its good show that restricted the BJP below the majority mark. The Prime Minister has returned to the top post with the support of NDA allies and the Opposition plans to use its numerical strength to corner the government on the House floor.

The tone of the Prime Minister’s address, however, the BJP may have suffered a setback, but it has no plan to let the Opposition have its way.

The Prime Minister assured the people that the government will work three times harder in its third term and deliver three-fold results.

This election, he said, was significant because this is only the second government after Independence that has been chosen to continue for a third term in a row. “This opportunity has come after 60 years. When people have chosen a government for the third term, it means a stamp on its intent, a stamp on its policies and its dedication. I thank the people for this,” he told the media.

Referring to the Emergency imposed by the then Indira Gandhi government, he said, “Tomorrow marks 50 years of the black spot on Indian democracy. The new generation will not forget how the Indian Constitution was scrapped, how the country was turned into a jail and democracy was captured. In this 50th anniversary, the country will take a pledge that never again will it happen.”

The Prime Minister said the government will consistently try to take everyone along to serve the country and its people, but added a stern message for the Opposition. “India needs a responsible Opposition, people want substance not slogans, they want debate, diligence not drama and disturbance in Parliament. I hope the Opposition will live up to the people’s expectations,” he said.

The country, he said, has a lot of expectations from MPs and urged them to take every possible step for public welfare. The Prime Minister congratulated the newly elected MPs and noted that this is the first time new MPs will take the oath in the new Parliament building.

The Prime Minister’s remarks and swipes targeting the Congress drew a sharp response. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the country was expecting that the Prime Ministr would speak about the protests surrounding NEET, the train accident in West Bengal or the continuing violence in Manipur.

“You are warning the Opposition. You are talking about the 50-year-old Emergency, but have forgotten the undeclared Emergency in the last 10 years,” Mr Kharge said, adding that the people have “given a mandate against Modiji”. The Congress chief said the INDIA Opposition bloc will raise the people’s voice inside and outside the Parliament.

As PM Modi picks the same team for diplomacy and national security- will there be any changes in Indian Foreign Policy in his third term with a coalition in charge ? What’s on his agenda for travel, and what are the foreign policy priorities for the new NDA government?

This week we want to get you primer on what to expect in Foreign Policy in the third term.

First, the NDA government’s core team dealing with diplomacy and national security remains the same:

1. EAM S Jaishankar- who met with leaders from the neighbourhood this week even before his portfolio was announced took charge, spelling out some of the priorities- and catch phrases of the new term

2. NSA Ajit Doval

3. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

4. There are 2 new Ministers of State

KirtiVardhan Singh- who went to Kuwait for the fire tragedy

Pabitra Margherita

For those who follow these beats closely, watch out for these appointments:
Foreign Secretary- As FS Kwatra’s extension ends in October- who will be the new FS, and will Mr. Kwatra be appointed to an ambassadorial post
Deputy NSA – As Vikram Misri is tipped to return to the MEA as the FS
Ambassadors to US, UN and France

Let’s get to what the Foreign Policy Priorities of the new government will be:

 1. Neighbourhood is important, keep the comfort zone close:

-Invite to all the neighbouring countries of SAARC minus Pakistan and Afghanistan and IOR with good ties

-Special effort for Maldives President Muizzu, given the tensions of past months

-In Afghanistan and Myanmar, no recognition for Taliban or Military junta regimes

-Expect bilateral visits in the next few months- Sri Lanka, Bangladesh etc

-Trouble zone of China and Pakistan will be on agenda, but different tacks with both

With China,

-An early détente over LAC situation will be key, possible meeting with Xi Jinping next month on sidelines of SCO

-After 2 years, China is back as India’s biggest trading partner

-Even so, Pres Xi Jinping did not greet PM Modi- it was Premier Li Qiang who sent a message

-Significant that Beijing hosted Pakistan PM Sharif last week, even as election results and swearing in was taking place in India, issued a joint statement including parts on Jammu Kashmir that MEA objected to

With Pakistan

-No early détente expected, although Pakistan FM has hinted at movement on trade

-Attack in Jammu on day of swearing in is part of growing violence in JK, will make any engagement with Pakistan difficult

3. Global Power Balance

-PM Modi is expected to continue the tightrope walk over the geopolitical rivalries between US and the West and Russia and Global South

-PM was in Italy for the G-7, as India was one of 12 countries invited to the outreach, meeting with western leaders including Biden, Sunak, Macron, Scholz, Meloni and Ukraine President Zelenskyy who was a special invitee

-Next month will be in Kazakhstan for the SCO summit- Putin, Xi, Sharif, Iran, Central Asian leaders expected
Plans to host Quad Summit later this year, but also to travel to Russia for BRICS summit

-India will maintain its stance on Russia-Ukraine war

-New Delhi will keep focus on Global South issues- particularly on Food, Fuel, Fertilizer security

4. UN and multilateral forum leadership

-Keep up the push for UN reform

-In September India is expected to make a renewed pitch for a permanent seat at the UN Security Council- along with G-4 partners Brazil, Germany, Japan, they also advocate a seat for Africa

-Memberships for other groupings like NSG will be pursued

5. Trade agreements

-FTAs with UK, Australia, EU, GCC, Oman on the anvil

-FTA talks with Canada on hold

-Revision of FTAs with ASEAN etc required, given RCEP in place

-In the US a Trump government could restart FTA talks as well

So whats big on Modi’s travel agenda?

June- G7, Italy

July- SCO, Kazakhstan

September- UNGA, NY

October- ASEAN-India summit, Laos

October- BRICS summit, Russia

November- G20, Brazil

November/ December- Possible Quad Summit in India

Single Party vs Coalition: Wil Foreign Policy be impacted?

 -No major change expected due to coalition politics and pressures, which will be domestic

-However, a stronger opposition in Parliament will scrutinize all FP moves more, particularly on China

-In a third term, and with more domestic political commitments, PM Modi may travel less, leaving more responsibility with the EAM for travel

-Attracting investment will be key to bilateral ties, may be more evenly spread out, given coalition partners are from states.

-WV Take:

While no major changes are expected on the foreign policy front, given the team in place for the new NDA government- there are certain indicators one can glean- In a third term, leaders often turn inwards towards domestic reforms and consolidation rather than new policies, and more reactive than proactive to international developments. Of particular concern is to ensure that intractable relations- whether with China, Pakistan, Canada, Turkey or the Maldives are not neglected, even as New Delhi shores up its ties with traditional friends.

 WV Reading Recommendations:

1. Nehru’s First Recruits: The Diplomats Who Built Independent India’s Foreign Policy by Kallol Bhattacherjee

2. India’s Trade Policy: The 1990s and Beyond by Arvind Panagariya, important read from his former columns after India’s Moment: Changing Power Equations around the World by Mohan Kumar

3. Biden And Beyond: The United States Rethinks South Asia, Edited by C Raja Mohan and Hernaikh Singh

4. Covert: The Psychology of War and Peace A.S. Dulat, Asif Durrani and Neil Aggarwal

5. Tyranny of the Minority: How to Reverse an Authoritarian Turn, and Forge a Democracy for All by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt

Script and Presentation: Suhasini Haidar

Production: Gayatri Menon and Shibu Narayan

Pune:

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday said that his decision to join the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance was not a compulsion or a compromise, adding that his idea of development aligns with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In a candid conversation with the news agency ANI during which he shared his thoughts in the lead-up to his floating a rival NCP alliance with his loyalists and eventually joining the ruling NDA in the state as the deputy chief minister, Mr Pawar said, “There was no compulsion and neither was it compromise. I always think about development. Who is driving the country’s development today? It is PM Modi. I worked against him in 2014 and 2019 (Lok Sabha elections), but if you see today, and as PM Modi, himself said yesterday (on the campaign trail in Maharashtra), we accomplished the same amount of work in one year as was done in the 10 years under (former PM) Manmohan Singh. He has also been working for the upliftment and well-being of the poor and backward sections. In the last 10 years, not one allegation has been levelled against PM Modi.”

Triggering another seismic event in the landscape of Maharashtra politics on July 2 last year, the nephew of NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar floated a rival faction, which joined the BJP-led NDA.

Ajit Pawar took oath as the deputy chief minister for the fifth time.

Claiming that the Opposition bloc — INDIA — had no prime ministerial face, he said there was no one who could rival PM Modi on the yardsticks of leadership and popularity.

“More than 65 per cent of people in the country are saying that they want PM Modi to return for a third term. There was a lot of talk around Nitish Kumar (rivalling PM Modi for the country’s most powerful post) in 2019 but he is with the NDA now. Presently, the Opposition has no one to take on PM Modi. There is simply no comparison between him and Rahul Gandhi,” the NCP leader said.

The deputy CM said the ruling ‘Mahayuti’ (alliance of the BJP, the Shiv Sena under Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar’s NCP) was formed to take the agenda of ‘development’ of the state forward.

“Everyone (in his NCP faction) took the decision (to join the NDA) collectively. It wasn’t motivated by a desire to be ministers but to take the agenda of the development of Maharashtra forward. I have said this time and time again that the decision was for the sake of development and nothing else,” Ajit Pawar said.

He added that people across the country have made up their minds to bring the BJP-led NDA under PM Modi back for a third term at the Centre.

“The people are giving a rousing reception to PM Modi wherever he goes. He has been asking the people to demonstrate their electoral support for his vision and agenda of development. He has been telling the people why they should vote for us. It’s clear that the people have made up their minds to bring him back for a third term,” the deputy CM said.

A total of 11 Lok Sabah seats in Maharashtra will be polling in the third phase on May 7.

Of the 48 seats, voting for 13 was completed in the first and second phases.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The NDA in Maharashtra may not have it as easy as it did in 2014 and 2019, when it won 41 of 48 Lok Sabha seats, because of a sympathy wave in favour of Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar, a senior leader of the alliance, Chhagan Bhujbal has said. 

In an exclusive interview with NDTV on Saturday, Mr Bhujbal also opened up on his decision to withdraw from contention for the Nashik Lok Sabha seat and shared his thoughts on whether the NDA’s slogan for winning 400 seats – ‘ab ki baar 400 paar‘ – has made voters believe that the Constitution will be amended.

Maharashtra’s already interesting politics became more complex in 2022 when Eknath Shinde and a group of MLAs staged a rebellion, which led to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government collapsing. Mr Shinde went on to align with the BJP and take oath as the chief minister, splitting the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena into two.

A year later, a similar script played out in the Sharad Pawar-led NCP, when his nephew Ajit Pawar split the party and also joined hands with the BJP, becoming a deputy chief minister in the process. The Maharashtra political landscape, thus, now has two Shiv Senas and two NCPs – under very similar but different names – pitted against each other. 

When Mr Bhujbal, who was at the forefront of the rebellion in the NCP with Ajit Pawar, was asked about the impact of this in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, he said in Hindi, “I believe there is a sympathy wave – the way Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena split and a faction of the NCP switched sides. This is showing in their rallies. It doesn’t seem like they are failing the way they did in 2014 and 2019.” 

In both of those Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had fought in an alliance with the undivided Shiv Sena and the parties had won in 23 and 18 constituencies respectively.

“The people’s faith is, however, still in Narendra Modi and they want him to form a strong government,” he added.

The Maharashtra minister turned slightly emotional when he was asked about the contest in Sharad Pawar’s bastion of Baramati between his daughter Supriya Sule and Ajit Pawar’s wife, Sunetra. 

“Even for me, it is saddening, that people who have lived together in the same house for so many years… What is happening is something that many people are not liking. Whose fault it is, that is a different matter. But it would have been very good if this had not happened,” he said. 

Slogan Hurting NDA?

On the opposition’s charge, also made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, that the NDA is seeking 400 seats because it wants to amend the Constitution and whether the “ab ki baar 400 paar” slogan has hurt the NDA alliance, Mr Bhujbal said, “The opposition’s campaign on this has been a strong one. People think the slogan is about changing the Constitution. And a BJP MP in Karnataka (Anantkumar Hegde) had also said this.”

“PM Modi has, however, said several times that the Constitution is strong and it can’t be changed even by BR Ambedkar himself. But this message is being given to the people. The impact will be seen only when the ballot boxes are opened,” he added.

Withdrawal From Contest

Nashik has been one of the most contentious constituencies as the BJP, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP try to work out a seat-sharing arrangement and Mr Bhujbal pulled out of the race for the ticket on Friday. The candidate is yet to be announced and a tussle between the allies seems to be underway, with conflicting remarks being made by BJP leader Pankaja Munde and chief minister Shinde.  

Mr Bhujbal said he had not asked for the ticket but was told by other leaders in the NCP during Holi that he would contest from Nashik. This, he said, was conveyed to him after a late-night meeting between the allies in Delhi where seats were being discussed one by one instead of in blocks for each party. 

The minister said Mr Shinde also wanted the seat for the Shiv Sena and that he agreed to contest because Nashik is his base and he and his son have been MLAs from there. His nephew, Sameer Bhujbal, was also an MP from the seat. 

Stating that he got a lot of support from the people because of the development work he had done, Mr Bhujbal said he was surprised because his name was not declared from the seat for three weeks.

“When Narayan Rane’s name was also declared (for Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg) and mine wasn’t, I figured they don’t want to do it. That’s when I said I don’t want to fight from the seat. If I have to contest, I want to do so with respect. I know my status. I don’t like asking for tickets. The only time I asked for a ticket was from (Shiv Sena founder) Bal Thackeray for the municipal corporation in Mumbai in 1970,” he recalled.

“After that I have been involved even in ticket distribution. So I thought waiting for so long is not right for me. So I felt bad, and decided not to contest,” he said.

Mandya (Karnataka):

JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy has said he is sincerely working for NDA’s better prospects in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and the continuation of alliance with BJP, after the parliamentary elections, will depend on how his party and its leaders are treated.

The former Chief Minister further said that given an opportunity and if Prime Minister Narendra Modi has confidence in him, he wants to be the agriculture minister, in the event of NDA coming back to power at the Centre.

In an exclusive interview to PTI Videos, after filing his nomination from Mandya on Thursday, the state JD(S) President said: “We being part of the NDA depends on how our party leaders are treated in the future. We are sincerely working and we want a long-standing relationship with BJP. But ultimately we will take a decision depending on how we are treated and how much respect we get from the BJP.”

JD(S) headed by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda joined the BJP-led NDA in September last year.

As part of the seat-sharing agreement, the BJP would contest in 25 constituencies and the JD(S) in the remaining three — Mandya, Hassan and Kolar — in Karnataka.

Mr Kumaraswamy, son of Gowda, made no secret of his desire to become Union Agriculture Minister.

“It is not only the aspirations of people of Mandya to see me as union minister, even my BJP friends feel that it will be good for the state if I become a minister. I come from an agricultural background and given an opportunity I want to be the agriculture minister and bring a good name for the government. If the Prime Minister believes that I can do good work and if I am given an opportunity I want to work in the agricultural sector,” he said.

The JD(S) leader, who is an MLA from Channapatna in the neighbouring Ramanagara district, said he was under a lot of pressure from the people of Mandya to contest from there.

“We have entered into an alliance with BJP to fight for better prospects for Karnataka and not for political survival. It is going to be mutually beneficial for both the BJP and JD(S). The Congress took advantage of the vote-split between us in the last (Assembly) election, we realised the mistake and we have decided to fight the Congress together,” he said.

Stating that it is BJP which is the “natural ally” of JD(S) and not the Congress, Mr Kumaraswamy said his party has always fought the grand old party for the last 50 years.

“Our last alliance with BJP (for 20 months from January 2006), when I was the Chief Minister was a good period and because of some misunderstanding and some misdeeds of miscreants we had to part ways,” he said, adding that leaders of parties and cadres are now sincerely working for each other.

“This time around there is a lot of positivity, energy and synergy between us. Be it (B S) Yediyurappa (BJP veteran) or Deve Gowda (JDS patriarch) or be it any of us. We all are working for each other to see to it that the NDA alliance gets all the 28 seats in Karnataka,” he added.

Mr Kumaraswamy also said the Congress in Karnataka had messed up the state’s finances because of its guarantee schemes and the government doesn’t have any funds for capital expenditure or development.

“Having mismanaged the finances now they are pointing fingers at the Centre over discrepancy in refund of GST and other grants,” he alleged. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Nagpur:

Avowing abiding confidence in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s goal of 370 seats, BJP leader Nitin Gadkari says the additional seats to its current strength of 288 will come from gains in southern India in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

In a wide-ranging interview with the news agency PTI at his residence in Nagpur, Mr Gadkari said there is “no doubt” in his mind that the BJP-led NDA will cross 400 seats and that Narendra Modi will take over as prime minister for a third term because of the solid work done by the government in the last 10 years.

He dismissed allegations that the Modi government is “weaponising” central probe agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate and CBI to weaken the opposition, saying BJP’s rivals should make efforts to overcome adversity by winning the confidence of the people.

“Is it our responsibility to make the opposition weak or strong? When we had just two MPs and were weak, we never got any package out of sympathy,” Mr Gadkari, who is seeking a third Lok Sabha term from Nagpur, said.

Mr Gadkari launched his campaign with a massive road show on Saturday through Nagpur, his motorcade crawling through a sea of supporters who withstood 40 degrees Celsius temperature to welcome the local hero. The programme, which was to take two hours ended four hours later as supporters covered him with gulal and insisted on offering him snacks every time he stopped.

Mr Gadkari said the BJP emerged stronger over the years due to the sheer hard work of its workers and the opposition too has to make efforts to earn the people’s confidence.

“The nature of democracy is such that this keeps changing. Whatever role you play, you always have to make efforts and overcome adversity. This is important for any opposition party,” he said.

He was also asked to explain the arithmetic of 370 seats for BJP and more than 400 seats for the National Democratic Alliance, given that they have already maxed out in their stronghold states.

“There is no need to make a state-wise analysis. This time we will taste success in the South. The work we have done in the south and the northeast over the last 10 years under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership… we have started getting results of the same,” he said.

“We have worked hard in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. We had very little presence in these states. This time we will do well in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. We have been performing well in north India. So, I feel the BJP will alone get 370 seats and the NDA will cross 400,” Mr Gadkari said.

The senior BJP leader said the people of the country want to see development and have faith in the leadership of PM Modi, which will be reflected in the elections.

To a question on the claims by certain quarters that the BJP will fall short of the majority mark, which in turn could trigger a race for the post of prime minister, Mr Gadkari responded vehemently: “Not at all!”

“We are completely confident that we will get a complete majority and will also cross the 400 mark and Narendra Modi ji will become the country’s prime minister for the third consecutive term. There is no doubt about this in my mind,” he said.

Questioned about his personal agenda for the centenary celebrations of the RSS in 2025, the ideological fountainhead of the BJP, Mr Gadkari said his “personal agenda” was only towards his constituency that has elected him.

“I do not have any personal agenda. RSS will spell out its agenda. Whatever their expectations, it is our responsibility to fulfil them,” he said.

He was also asked if there is lack of level playing field in the elections due to the arrest of opposition leaders, including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and the income tax notices amounting to Rs. 3,500 crore on the Congress party.

The Union minister said the law was “taking its own course” and the BJP or the government had nothing to do with it.

“We have not taken any action on our own. The cases have been registered as per the law. This has nothing to do with the BJP or Modi ji. The agencies keep doing their jobs,” Mr Gadkari said.

The senior BJP leader dismissed opposition allegations of the government weaponising the ED, CBI and Income Tax department, which were taking action in cases related to opposition leaders.

“This is completely wrong. We are not weaponising anybody. The law takes its own course. Now, if Rs 300-400 crore are found in anybody’s home, people also see it. Then there is an inquiry. If anyone has done wrong, action is taken. If anybody is aggrieved, they have the option to move court,” he said.

Mr Gadkari was also dismissive about the uproar over the revelations of donations made through electoral bonds and said it was but natural for the BJP, which is the ruling party, to get a major share in the donations.

“Even in television media, those who have greater TRP get a good rate in advertisement. Those who have less TRP, get advertisements at a lower rate. Today, we are the ruling party, hence we got more donations. If tomorrow any other party comes to power, it will get more donations,” he said.

Mr Gadkari said the ground reality was every political party required money and there was need to find a legal way to raise resources.

“I do not wish to say anything as the matter is sub-judice. After the Supreme Court has its say, all political parties should get together. In some countries, the government finances political parties. We will have to look for some options, this is what I feel,” he said.

Mr Gadkari said there is no substance in the opposition’s claims that the BJP is indulging in “washing machine politics” — absolving opposition figures facing corruption charges if they agree to join the party.

“There is no such thing. The law takes its own course. The agencies do their work on the basis of the evidence they gather. This allegation is completely wrong and baseless. No such work takes place,” he said, responding to opposition allegations of BJP being a “great washing machine”.

On the CBI clean chit to NCP leader Praful Patel in the Air India corruption case, Mr Gadkari said the action had nothing to do with the BJP or the prime minister.

“The truth came out in the inquiry,” he said.

Mr Gadkari recalled former prime minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s remarks on remaining true to the ideology and the principles of the party when asked about any advice to the opposition to revive itself.

“Having a difference of opinion is necessary for a democracy. But the real problem is having no opinion. (Aaj hamarey desh mein mat bhinnata yeh loktantra ke liye awashyak bhi hai. Usmey problem nahi hai. Para mat shunyata yeh hamari samasya hai.) Whatever party you are in and its ideology, it is important to stand by it with conviction – in victory or in defeat,” he said.

“I remember when I entered politics against the Emergency and started working with Jayprakash ji, the conditions were not favourable for us. But we kept on working in adverse conditions and one day Atal Bihari Vajpayee became the prime minister. Today, Modi has ruled the country for the last 10 years. Sure, the people give you an opportunity, but you have to have patience and work hard,” Mr Gadkari said.

Mr Gadkari who won with a margin of more than two lakh seats in the 2019 elections said his goal this time is to win by a five lakh margin. He said he is confident of getting minority and Dalit votes this time. Pitted against him is Vikas Thakre of the Congress, a former mayor of Nagpur who also has good grassroots connect with people.

BJP won 303 seats on its own in the 2019 elections but its tally in the outgoing Lok Sabha is now 288. This follows some bypoll losses and resignations of some MPs after they recently moved to state assemblies. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)