‘Ab ki baar 400 par ho raha…’: Mallikarjun Kharge’s remarks leaves PM Modi laughing

NEW DELHI: Referring to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) election slogan of ‘Ab ki baar 400 par’, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, humorously remarked on Friday that this time the BJP is poised to surpass 400 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Kharge said in Rajya Sabha, “With a current majority of 330-334 seats, this time it will be above 400”, eliciting laughter from PM Narendra Modi. He went on to say, “Let them secure the first position. Those present here clapping have come with the ‘kripa’ (blessing) of PM Modi”.

PM Modi be like, "I need new haters, the old ones have become my fans…" pic.twitter.com/dnpc5e0vI9

— BJP (@BJP4India) February 2, 2024

In the midst of this banter, Union Minister Piyush Goyal interjected, applauding Kharge’s comments. “Kharge ji spoke the truth”, he added.

However, in a surprising turn, the Leader of the Opposition later contradicted his earlier statement, asserting that in the upcoming elections, the BJP would not even surpass 100 seats. He concluded, “I.N.D.I.A is strong”.

Piyush Goyal again stood up in between and said that “daily one of the I.N.D.IA bloc member is leaving the alliance. We don’t know whether the INDI alliance exists or not.”

Moreover, BJP’s official X handle shared a video of Kharge and said, “PM Modi be like, “I need new haters, the old ones have become my fans…” The clipped portion evoked laughter among those seated on the Treasury bench, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Union Minister Smriti Irani shared the video on her Twitter account and tweeted, “Opposition also accepted, BJP will cross 400-mark in the third time!”

As the Lok Sabha elections draw near, India’s political landscape is undergoing a significant reshuffling. The emerging INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) consortium is gearing up to challenge the established National Democratic Alliance, setting the stage for an electoral showdown.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the NDA won 353 seats, the UPA stood at 91, and Others won 98. The voting was staggered in seven phases between April 11 and May 19, in which around 67 per cent of the nearly 900 million eligible people exercised their franchise to elect 542 members of the Lok Sabha.

The Lok Sabha elections likely to be held this year in April. (ANI)