PM Narendra Modi calls maiden Session eve meet of NDA parties

New Delhi, Jul 18: Bracing for an Opposition onslaught on Lalit Modi controversy, Vyapam scam and other issues, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called a maiden meet of all NDA constituents on the eve of the Monsoon session of Parliament to work out a strategy to counter the opposition.

The meeting assumes significance as main opposition Congress and the Left have stacked up ammunition on several issues including the Vyapam scam and the Lalit Modi row involving a host of senior BJP leaders, to target the government.

This is the first time Modi has called a meet of the ruling alliance since he stormed to power in May 2014. Sensing the opposition heat awaiting his government in Parliament, Modi had acknowledged yesterday that there will be a 'muqabla' (contest).

"We are all sitting here (including Ghulam Nabi Azad), but just wait to see the 'muqabla' (contest) we will have in some days"," he had said at an event in Jammu where the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha was also present.

Shiv Sena, which is the largest BJP ally, has been demanding a meeting of NDA constituents. Party leader in the Rajya Sabha Sanjay Raut expressed happiness over Modi's decision, saying it would help the alliance chalk out a collective strategy to ward off the opposition challenge.

While the BJP-led NDA commands a sizeable majority in the Lok Sabha, it lacks numbers in the Upper House where opposition Congress is the largest party and holds the key to passage of key legislations, including GST and land bill.

PTI