There is no such thing as NDA, just a single party rule: Former BJP ally

Announcing severing of ties with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), former Deputy Chief Minister and Goa Forward Party (GFP) President Vijai Sardesai on Monday claimed that the NDA no longer exists and there is no such national coalition headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Sardesai, who served as a cabinet minister in former Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar-led coalition government, and as the Deputy Chief Minister in the current Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant-led cabinet, said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has had a recent track record of breaking up ties with its coalition partners.

"There is no such thing as NDA now... events in the recent past have proven that. For instance, the BJP runs a coalition government with the Janata Dal (United) in Bihar, they have destroyed the JD(U) in Arunachal Pradesh. There is no such thing as a national coalition which is headed by Prime Minister Modi. It is just one-party rule," Sardesai told the media.

Sardesai has been critical of the BJP-led coalition government after he was dropped from the cabinet by current Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in July 2019.

Sardesai had however, continued to claim that he was part of the NDA.

Sardesai's continued links to the NDA had proven to be an impediment vis-a-vis his party's efforts to forge an alliance with the opposition Congress.

However, Sardesai on Monday said as the NDA has ceased to exist, there was no question of the Goa Forward Party leaving the national alliance.

"So by and large, the NDA does not exist. There is nothing about leaving the NDA," he added.

"I happen to be one of the most fierce critics of the current BJP government... If I was anywhere connected to them (NDA), I would have praised them in some way. I do not praise the central leadership nor do I praise the current regime. For us it was Manohar Parrikar. Since Parrikar is no more alive, our political ties with the BJP are dead. That's it," Sardesai said.

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