"INDIA Bloc Will Provide Robust, Effective Opposition": Shashi Tharoor

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said the INDIA bloc will function as a robust and effective opposition.

Speaking with ANI, Shashi Tharoor said, "The truth is that they ( do have the numbers in a pre-poll alliance, so there's no question of begrudging them their right to form the government. And I think the INDIA bloc decided very clearly there's no point in trying to create drama out of this. Let them form the government and we will be a robust and effective opposition."

Tharoor also said that the coalitions are not a bad thing in themselves because they will make the Prime Minister and his party much more accountable to others than they have been in the last ten years.

He added, "In the last ten years, the kind of governance we saw was my way or the highway, demonetise the currency and don't even consult the cabinet and your Finance Minister."

Shashi Tharoor took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that PM Modi will have to listen to the views of his coalition partners as he doesn't have a majority.

"Imposing a lockdown in short hours of notice and don't even consult the Chief ministers after it was implemented. That style is over now. You can't go around saying you will do as you wish. You have to take into account the views of your own coalition partners because you don't have a majority," Tharoor said.

According to the Election Commission of India, the BJP won 240 seats, much lower than its 2019 tally of 303. The Congress, on the other hand, registered a strong improvement, winning 99 seats. While the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance won 292 seats, the INDIA bloc crossed the 230 mark, posing stiff competition, and defying all predictions.

PM Modi has secured a third term, but the BJP needed the support of other parties in his coalition, primarily JD (U) chief Nitish Kumar and TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu.On the other hand, NDA leaders unanimously passed a resolution in the meeting, electing Narendra Modi as their leader.

PM Modi will take the oath for the third time on June 9, sources said.President Droupadi Murmu dissolved the 17th Lok Sabha on Wednesday after the recommendation of the Union Cabinet.

"The President accepted the advice of the Cabinet on June 5, 2024, and signed the Order dissolving the 17th Lok Sabha in the exercise of the powers conferred upon her by Sub-Clause (2) of Article 85 of the Constitution," a statement issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan said on Wednesday.

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