Ahead of the upcoming budget session of Parliament, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is likely to release a list of spokespersons across parties, according to sources.
“The list of NDA spokespersons is expected to be released before the budget session,” a top source told News18.
It is also indicated that unlike during the time of BJP’s the late Atal Bihari Vajpayee, currently, there is no need for the post of NDA convener. It may be recalled that during the PM Vajpayee-led government, current Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu was the NDA convener.
The decision to come up with a panel of spokespersons was taken after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during the last special session of Parliament, said the move could help reflect any decision of the government effectively across all states and through all parties.
“It is a different scenario in 2024. With so many alliance partners in the government, the message should be clear that it is collective responsibility and collective decision-making. This is why the need to have all voices speak in one tone,” the source said.
The opposition, much stronger after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections compared to 2014 and 2019, is attacking the government with renewed vigour. In such a scenario, it becomes even more important for the NDA to show its strength.
The NDA’s strength will be put to test immediately in the upcoming budget session, where various political parties within the NDA would want to talk about the benefits of the budget.
After enjoying a full majority in 2014 and 2019, with the BJP having absolute numbers by itself, in 2024, the BJP had to form a government at the Centre with the support of several allies of the NDA. Among the principal allies are Telugu Desam Party (TDP) with 16 MPs and Janata Dal United (JDU) with 12 MPs.
Modi, as the leader of the NDA, and 71 members of his cabinet took oath on June 9. Representation was given to all allies, with Rammohan Naidu (TDP) and Lalan Singh (JDU) being part of Modi’s cabinet. Apart from this, the alliance party members who were sworn include HD Kumaraswamy from Janata Dal Secular (JDS), Anupriya Patel from Apna Dal, Jain Chaudhary from Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), among others.
In the last few years, not all has been well between the BJP and its allies such as the JDU and TDP. While the JDU has done a number of turns and U-turns. Chandrababu Naidu, who was with the government in 2014, walked out of the NDA in 2018 over the unfulfilled promise of the Andhra Pradesh reorganisation act. He is back with the NDA in 2024.
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