'Be ready to sit in opposition': Amit Shah slams INDIA bloc, says NDA will form govt again in 2029

Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday slammed the opposition parties for raising questions about the longevity of the NDA government at the Centre, saying the alliance will not only complete its term but also form the government in 2029. "I want to assure you (people) that let the opposition make a fuss, you do not worry. In 2029 also, the NDA will come (to power), (Narendra) Modi ji will come," he said while addressing a gathering in Chandigarh. 

Shah said the opposition parties feel that with some success, they have won elections. "They do not know that the BJP won more seats in this election (2024 Lok Sabha poll) than the number of seats the Congress got in the past three elections. The BJP alone has more seats than the total number of seats which their whole alliance has," he said. 

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 240 seats, down from 303 in 2019. The Congress improved its tally from 52 in the last elections to 99 in 2024. 

The NDA - which comprises Nitish Kumar's JDU, Chandrababu Naidu's TDP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, Chirag Paswan's LJP, and others - has 291 seats, 19 more than the majority mark. However, the opposition has been claiming that the NDA government won't complete its term.       

On Sunday, Shah attacked the INDIA bloc parties, saying they want to create uncertainty as they keep saying that this government will not complete its term. "I want to assure the opposition that not only will this government complete its five-year term, the next term will also be of this government. Be ready to sit in the opposition and learn to work effectively in the opposition," he added.

The Home Minister lauded the Modi government for its works over the past 10 years. "The 10-year period from 2014 to 2024 will be inscribed in golden letters in the history of our country's development."

Shah said in the past 10 years under the Modi government, the country achieved different types of successes as he spoke about surgical and air strikes, abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, building Ram temple in Ayodhya, setting up a road network and transformation of British-era railway stations. 

In every field, people of the country experienced development, he said, adding that the country became a manufacturing hub with the Modi government's initiatives, including Startup India and Digital India. Because of this, people made Modi prime minister for a third time, he said.