Amid deadlock, PM to address NDA parliamentary party meeting today
NEW DELHI: Amid the ongoing logjam in Parliament,
PM Narendra Modi
will address the BJP-led NDA parliamentary party meeting on Tuesday, a get-together of the alliance's MPs that is being held after a considerable gap, and the first during the current session of Parliament.
The NDA meeting also holds significance as filing of nomination papers for the election to the vice-president of India's post begins from Aug 7. The BJP-led bloc will have to announce its candidate - whose election to the post will be a certainty due to the alliance's majority in the electoral college - by Aug 21, the last date of nomination-filing and the monsoon session of Parliament.
The electoral college for the vice-president poll includes MPs of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, and its current strength is 782.
If the opposition also names a candidate - a distinct possibility - then the poll is scheduled to be held on Sept 9.
The meeting comes in the middle of a session which has been a washout so far, except for a two-day discussion on the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor, due to a united opposition's continuous protest against the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar by Election Commission.
PM Modi is expected to speak on a host of issues as the opposition has been raising the heat over the poll body's alleged partisan conduct favouring govt, and the terror attack and Operation Sindoor.
by Taboola
by Taboola
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Sources said Modi may ask alliance MPs to counter the opposition's narrative and also boost the 'Tiranga Yatra' being organised in view of Independence Day.
The parliamentary party is also likely to felicitate the PM for the success of Operation Sindoor and neutralisation of the terrorists involved in the attack.
Since the 2024 LS elections, when BJP lost its majority but comfortably crossed the halfway mark with allies, the meeting of the party's MPs every session was expanded to include its allies. Before the last national elections, the PM used to address weekly meetings of the BJP parliamentary party during Parliament sessions.
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Operation Sindoor showcased India's self-reliance and tech strength, said DRDO chief Samir Kamat. It used indigenous systems like Akash missiles and BrahMos. Defence exports may double in next 2-3 years, he said. read more Operation Sindoor was a 'declaration' of India's ability to stand tall through self-reliance, strategic foresight, and indigenous technological strength, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) chairman Samir Kamat said on Saturday. Speaking at the 14th convocation of the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT) here, Kamat said the highly coordinated, multi-dimensional operation along the western borders highlighted not just the courage of the soldiers, but also the technological backbone that supported them. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD After Operation Sindoor's success, he expects India's defence exports to double in the next two to three years, he said. 'Operation Sindoor was more than a mission. 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We should achieve Rs 50,000 crore by 2029, which is the target set for us by the Defence Minister. There is a lot of interest in Pinaka, ATAGS, BrahMos, and Akash. I am sure that in the coming years, defence exports will increase manifold,' he said. Countries from Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa are importing arms from India, Kamat said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD On the BrahMos-NG (Next Generation), he said it is a smaller version of BrahMos that can be fitted on multiple platforms. 'Currently, BrahMos can be fitted only on the Sukhoi platform, but if we make it smaller, it can fit on other platforms as well. We are planning to start the development of BrahMos-NG soon,' he said. During the convocation ceremony, degrees were awarded to 298 students including 206 MTech students, 68 MSc and 24 PhD students from various disciplines. A total of 18 gold medals were awarded to students.
