Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar strongly objected to INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) as the name of the Opposition alliance, sources told India Today. The name was announced by the Opposition parties after their meeting in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
Sources claimed that the Congress did not have any discussion on the name of the Opposition alliance and Nitish Kumar was shocked when the name was revealed.
During the meeting, Nitish Kumar questioned how an alliance could be named INDIA, sources said.
“Nitish Kumar’s role in uniting all the Opposition parties cannot be denied. But the way the Congress has hijacked the alliance, it has definitely shocked the leaders of JD(U) and RJD,” sources said.
JD(U) RESPONDS
JD(U) president Lalan Singh reacted to the development and said Nitish Kumar, who played a significant role in cobbling up a larger opposition front, could “never be angry”.
He hit out at PM Modi over the NDA meeting and claimed that the BJP-led alliance will be defeated in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
#WATCH | Patna| JDU party president Lalan Singh says, "…Nitish Kumar is the one who has brought the opposition together and a person who has brought everyone together can never be angry…I was part of NDA for five years and to date PM Modi never called a meeting with NDA. Now… pic.twitter.com/6LZqUMSGKg
— ANI (@ANI) July 19, 2023
INDIA ALLIANCE NAME ANNOUNCED
On Tuesday, leaders from 26 Opposition parties met in Bengaluru and announced the name of the alliance INDIA in a bid to take on the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Earlier, the anti-NDA bloc was called UPA (United Progressive Alliance), which ruled the country from 2004 to 2014 under the leadership of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Sources told India Today earlier that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi pitched the name of INDIA for the Opposition alliance to project itself as a united front and battle it out against the BJP in next year’s parliamentary election.
The new name for the Opposition alliance triggered a political slugfest, with the BJP saying the name will not change their character and the 2024 Lok Sabha battle is going to be ‘Bharat Mata versus INDIA’.
During the NDA meeting on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said alliances built on negativity never succeeded and asserted that the NDA will win a third consecutive term. The NDA conclave was held hours after the Opposition meet in Bengaluru.
The Opposition claimed that PM Modi was afraid of the Opposition huddle and hence the NDA meeting was called, where 38 parties had attended the conclave. They challenged the NDA to defeat INDIA in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Meanwhile, the Opposition leaders from the INDIA alliance finalised ‘Jeetega Bharat’ as the combine’s tagline, setting the tone for their 2024 Lok Sabha campaign.
The Hindi tagline means “India will win” and is likely to be replicated in several regional languages, sources told news agency PTI.
According to them, during the meeting in Bengaluru on Tuesday, several leaders felt that the word ‘Bharat’ should feature in the name of the alliance.
