PM Modi, Amit Shah Attend NDA's 'Mangal Milan' Meet; NCPI MP Joins First Time
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Parliamentary Party held its weekly 'Mangal Milan' meeting in Parliament on Tuesday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other NDA leaders in attendance. The meeting took place at the GMC Balayogi Auditorium in the Parliament Library Building.
BJP National President Nitin Nabin was also present at the gathering. The meeting is a routine coordination exercise for the ruling alliance and is convened every Tuesday when Parliament is in session.
Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay attended the NDA Parliamentary Party meeting for the first time. Before the meeting, Bandyopadhyay told reporters, "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."
His attendance comes against the backdrop of last week's meeting, which three NCPI leaders from the minority community had skipped. Party sources have rejected any suggestion of a rift within the alliance, while leaders of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) have claimed that the three parliamentarians do not wish to be part of the BJP-led NDA.
The three NCPI leaders who did not attend the previous meeting are Abu Taher Khan, Khalilur Rahman, and Yusuf Pathan. That was the first time NCPI had attended the NDA's parliamentary meeting after the party decided to support the alliance at the Centre.
According to reports, twenty former TMC MPs had left the party following its defeat in the assembly elections and subsequently announced the formation of the Nationalist Citizens Party of India, pledging support to the NDA.
The meeting on Tuesday concluded with Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju addressing the coalition lawmakers in the presence of Prime Minister 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.
The NDA's 'Mangal Milan' meetings are part of the alliance's efforts to maintain coordination among its constituent parties. The Monsoon Session of Parliament is ongoing, and such meetings are seen as a platform to align legislative strategies.
Neither the Prime Minister nor other senior leaders made public remarks to the media after the meeting. The focus of the discussions is understood to be on the legislative agenda for the ongoing session, though no official details were disclosed.
The participation of Bandyopadhyay in the meeting is notable, as he is a senior parliamentarian and his presence signals the NCPI's continued alignment with the NDA. However, the absence of the three leaders last week had drawn attention, and their current stance remains a subject of political speculation.
Political observers note that the NCPI's support is significant for the NDA's numerical strength in Parliament, though the exact numbers are not being publicly discussed. The TMC's remarks about the three leaders have not been confirmed by the individuals concerned.
The Monsoon Session is expected to continue for several more days, with the government seeking to pass key legislation. The NDA's coordination meetings are likely to continue weekly as the session progresses.
