Opposition parties form 'INDIA' front to challenge BJP in 2024 polls

Bengaluru/New Delhi, Jul 18 (PTI) Sounding the bugle for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, 26 opposition parties on Tuesday formed an anti-BJP front Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi declaring it will unitedly fight Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the "idea of India".

As leaders of the opposition parties threw a challenge to the BJP-led NDA putting behind "some differences" and targeted the prime minister, Modi hit back, telling a National Democratic Alliance meeting that India has long tradition of coalitions, but those formed based on negativity have never succeeded.

Terming the National Democratic Alliance(NDA) as a "beautiful rainbow" of regional aspirations, Modi said people have made up their mind to give mandate to the ruling alliance for a third consecutive term. He also said that in NDA, 'N' means New India, 'D' means Developed Nation, 'A' means Aspirations of people and regions.

Modi referred to the opposition conclave at the NDA meeting and also at another event earlier in the day where he stated “people are saying” their meeting in Bengaluru is a "conclave of the corrupt", alleging its mantra was “of, by and for the family”.

Announcing the name of the opposition bloc at a press conference after a nearly four-hour-long meeting of leaders of the 26 parties, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge evaded a direct reply to a question on who would be the face of the new alliance. But in his opening remarks at the meeting, he said the Congress is not interested in power or the post of prime minister.

As the opposition parties finalised a road map that included setting up a secretariat in Delhi for campaign management of the alliance, leaders of 38 parties including some new entrants joined a meeting of the NDA in Delhi, with Prime Minister Modi saying an alliance formed for the compulsion of power, based on dynastic politics and keeping in mind casteism and regionalism is very harmful to the country.

Declaring that NDA is not a coalition of compulsions, Modi said opposition parties can come closer for political selfishness but they cannot come together. It was the first meeting of the NDA during the second term of the Modi government that began in 2019.

Virtually inaugurating the new integrated terminal building of the Veer Savarkar Airport in Port Blair, Modi said seeing opposition leaders in one frame, people are calling it a symbol of corruption and the Bengaluru meeting, 'Kattar Bhrashtachar Sammelan' (hardcore corruption convention).

According to multiple sources, the name of the opposition front was suggested by TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and that there was a lot of discussion on the full form of the acronym INDIA.

Later, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said, "it was a collective effort. I don't think, we are taking any credit for this but yes, the idea came from Rahul Gandhi..." The 26 parties have a combined strength of about 150 seats in the current Lok Sabha, as against over 330 of the NDA, and are in power individually or in alliance in Delhi and 10 states.

At his news conference, Kharge said a committee of 11 members will be set up for coordination, and a convenor will be selected at the next meeting in Mumbai.

He 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.

"Our alliance will be called Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA)." Addressing the joint press conference with other leaders, Rahul Gandhi, a former Congress president, said the fight was not between the opposition parties and the BJP, but it was a "fight for the idea of India that was being attacked".

"The fight is against the ideology of the BJP and their thinking, they are attacking the country....,"Gandhi said.

"We are defending the Constitution, the voice of Indians and the idea of India. You know what happens to anyone who wants to fight the idea of India... This is a fight between INDIA and the BJP, it is a fight between INDIA and Narendra Modi." Kharge said that "there are some differences between us but we have put that behind... We are together in the interest of the country...We'll fight the 2024 Lok Sabha elections unitedly and we will come out with great success".

He also launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Modi, saying he is now trying to bring together parties that had splintered and this shows that "he is afraid of opposition parties".

In her remarks at the presser, Banerjee, while acknowledging all leaders present, referred to Rahul Gandhi as "our favourite".

"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," she said.

"INDIA will win, our country will win and BJP will lose." Taking a swipe at Modi, former Maharashtra chief minister and Shiv Sena(UBT) chief 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".

Later, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh tweeted "Article 1 of the Indian Constitution. India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.This is the spirit behind the INDIA announced by 26 political parties in Bengaluru today".

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said Indian history will remember this day as the "Bengaluru movement of patriotism and positive politics".

The 26 opposition parties who have joined hands 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).

Top opposition leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, chief ministers of Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, and former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav along with presidents and leaders of several parties attended the meeting.

While most leaders, including Sharad Pawar and Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, were present at the presser, Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) chief 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.

BJP IT department head Amit Malviya hit out at the opposition parties, saying giving a new name to their alliance will not change their character. PTI ASG SKC ASK BJ PYK SN KR SKU PK NAB GSN GSN GSN