Opposition alliance is now ‘INDIA’ (Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance)

BENGALURU,

SETTING the tone for their 2024 Lok Sabha campaign, 26 Opposition parties on Tuesday formed a coalition --Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA)-- to unitedly take on the ruling NDA with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi asserting that the fight will be “between INDIA and Prime Minister Narendra Modi”. Announcing the name of the Opposition bloc at a press conference here after a nearly four-hour-long meeting of the 26 parties, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, “We’ll fight the 2024 Lok Sabha elections unitedly and we will come out with great success.” He said a committee of 11 members will be set up for coordination, and a convenor will be selected at the next meeting in Mumbai. Kharge also said a secretariat will also be set up in Delhi for campaign management of the alliance and specific committees will be formed for separate issues. He said the dates for the Mumbai meeting will be announced soon.

While Kharge evaded a direct reply on who would be the face of the new alliance, earlier in his opening remarks at the meeting, he said the Congress is not interested in power or the post of Prime Minister. “Our intention in this meeting is not to gain power for ourselves. It is to protect our Constitution, democracy, secularism and social justice,” he said. Addressing the joint press conference with other leaders, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said they have decided to prepare an action plan where they will talk about their ideology and programmes. “The fight is against the ideology of the BJP and their thinking, they are attacking the country, unemployment is rampant, and the country’s wealth is being taken away from millions and handed over to a few of the friends of the BJP and the PM,” Gandhi said. According to multiple sources, the name of the Opposition front was suggested by TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and there was a lot of discussion on the full form of the term, INDIA.

Taking a swipe at Modi, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said some people say “we are fighting for family”, they should know that “the country is our family and we are fighting for our country”. The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) party chief also asserted that the Opposition parties’ fight is not against a person but against “dictatorship”. “People are feeling afraid as to what will happen, we want to say to them that there was a movie ‘Main Hoon Na’, so they should not worry, ‘Hum hain na’,” Thackeray said. In her remarks at the presser, Banerjee, while acknowledging all leaders present, referred to Rahul Gandhi as “our favourite”. Referring to the name of the alliance adopted, Banerjee said, “BJP, can you challenge INDIA? We love our motherland, we are the patriotic people of the country, we are for farmers, Dalits, we are for the country, for the world.”

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal said Prime Minister Modi got the opportunity to do a lot for the country in nine years, but no development has happened in any sector. While most leaders, including Sharad Pawar, were present at the presser, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav had left before the press conference as they had to catch a flight. The 26 opposition parties are --the Congress, TMC, DMK, AAP, JD(U), RJD, JMM, NCP (Sharad Pawar), Shiv Sena (UBT), SP, NC, PDP, CPI(M), CPI, RLD, MDMK, Kongunadu Makkal Desia Katchi (KMDK), VCK, RSP, CPI-ML (Liberation), Forward Bloc, IUML, Kerala Congress (Joseph), Kerala Congress (Mani), Apna Dal (Kamerawadi), and the Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK).