During a special breakfast meeting in New Delhi on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reassured newly allied rebel MPs, saying they need not worry. “Don’t worry about what is said about you. No need to
worry, I am with you,” he is reported to have told at the meeting to welcome and integrate former opposition lawmakers into the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) fold amidst ongoing parliamentary realignments during the Monsoon Session.
WHAT HAPPENED AT PM NARENDRA MODI’s MEETING
Around 45 MPs attended the breakfast. This included 20 rebel TMC MPs (who recently merged into the Nationalist Citizens Party of India or NCPI), seven former Uddhav Sena MPs (six of whom officially crossed over to Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena), 20 National People’s Party (NPP) MPs, and two from the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction).
PM Modi urged MPs from West Bengal to intensify their public outreach and said the state’s progress is crucial to the country’s growth. According to sources present at the meeting, each MP was handed a printout detailing their social media engagement, with the Prime Minister asking them to step up their digital connect with the public.
Modi stressed that “when Bengal thrives, India thrives” and told the MPs that the state has significant work ahead. He also underlined that development should not be limited to West Bengal alone, saying the northeastern states too need better connectivity and accelerated growth.
The Prime Minister also advised the MPs to undergo annual mental and physical health check-ups, noting that they need to remain fit given the scale of work that lies ahead.
The meeting also had a lighter moment over tea. As matcha tea was served, BJP MP Shatabdi Roy explained to the Prime Minister what it was and mentioned that it is also available in West Bengal. Modi reiterated that Bengal must regain its place as a driver of India’s progress, saying that when the state prospered in the past, the country prospered as well.
The interaction drew some laughter when senior MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay remarked that the Prime Minister was surrounded by several actors-turned-politicians, including Shatabdi Roy, Sayoni Ghosh, June Malia and Rachana Banerjee, and joked that he would have to stay fit to keep up with them.
PM Modi explicitly spoke in Marathi to the former Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs and reached out warmly to the former Trinamool Congress (TMC) rebels, easing their anxieties regarding disqualification threats and constituency voter backlashes, , according to NDTV and India Today reports.
Highlighting their strategic value, NCPI President and Chief Whip Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar (a former close aide of Mamata Banerjee) shared front-row seating with PM Modi, Amit Shah, and Rajnath Singh.
NUMBERGAME
The BJP is actively expanding its coalition numbers to secure a two-thirds majority in Parliament. This is crucial for passing significant Constitutional Amendment Bills, including those related to delimitation and the rollout of women’s reservations.
While the majority of the breakaway faction attended, three specific NCPI MPs from Muslim-dominated Murshidabad (Abu Taher Khan, Khalilur Rahaman, and Yusuf Pathan) have skipped broader NDA meetings due to local voter alignment concerns, though they separately held developmental discussions with the leadership.
