NDA pat for Modi for Davos, Asean summit

The Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA on Monday passed a resolution hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his speech in the World Economic Forum in Davos and the presence of 10 Asean leaders at Republic Day Parade.

At a meeting of the NDA's parliamentary wing, Modi again reiterated his call for building a consensus on the issue of simultaneous polls, saying the leaders could help create a positive atmosphere in its favour.

Modi's remarks came on a day when President Ram Nath Kovind pitched for simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies in his maiden address to the joint session of Parliament on Monday ahead of the Budget Session.

Modi reiterated that a continuous cycle of elections across the country impeded the developmental works due to enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct, besides incurring a huge cost.

The prime minister repeated his view that the agenda of simultaneous polls does not belong to him or the BJP but everyone must come together and brainstorm. He said political attacks happen during elections that damage federal structure and fabric due to the continuous cycle of polls in the country.

Shortly before the NDA met, BJP's parliamentary party executive saw the prime minister, as well as party chief Amit Shah, sending a clear message that they expected the party MPs in Parliament to be present in sufficient number through the session.