"Fight Between PM Modi And I.N.D.I.A": Opposition Coalition Has A New Name

I-N-D-I-A -- the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance -- is what the united opposition front will be known as, 26 parties participating at the crucial meet in Bengaluru decided on Tuesday, setting what Congress's Rahul Gandhi called a "Modi versus I.N.D.I.A" battle for the 2024 general elections.

"We are defending the Constitution, voice of Indians and the idea of India. You know what happens to anyone who wants to fight the idea of India... The fight is between NDA and I.N.D.I.A, Narendra Modi and I.N.D.I.A, his ideology and I.N.D.I.A. India always wins all fights," said Mr Gandhi. "The fight is about two different ideas of India... The voice of the country is being stifled. The fight is for the voice of the country. So this name was chosen -- I.N.D.I.A," he added.

The BJP – which is gathering its allies together in Delhi -- scoffed. Drawing a parallel with the banned organization SIMI, the BJP's Amit Malviya said changing the UPA is just regrouping under another name.

"In 2024, country will elect Prime Minister Modi, the leader… The future of our country is too precious to be risked with one of the self serving, corrupt, dynastic parties. It is apparent that they have come together to save their shrinking turfs, not serve the people," read his tweet.

The name for the united opposition was arrived at after much deliberation on Day 2 of the mega meeting.

Sources said the Left parties wanted the word 'Alliance' to be changed to 'Front' while some parties were not too keen on 'NDA' in the name. Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray pushed for a name that would not have any mention of opposition.

It was Mr Gandhi who finally came up with the acronym, tweeted Jitendra Ahwad of the Nationalist Congress Party. "His creativity was greatly appreciated," his tweet read.

"Chak de India," read a gleeful tweet from Trinamool Congress's Derek O'Brien soon after the name was decided on. "NDA can you challenge INDIA? BJP can you challenge INDIA?" questioned his boss, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Sources said Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was not too keen on I.N.D.I.A, since it has the letters NDA. He had to be convinced.

Addressing the media after the meet, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said, "The BJP wants to destroy democracy, Constitution, using autonomous bodies like CBI, ED, Vigilance (department) all such institutions against opposition party leaders and workers. This is a grave situation. We have come together to save this situation. How to save the country and the people of the country -- this is the issue before us".

Asked who will lead the alliance, Mr Kharge said, "We are making a coordination committee of 11. At that meeting in Mumbai, we will decide on who the 11 will be, who the Convenor will be, etc. These are small things".

In her remarks at the press conference, Mamata Banerjee, while acknowledging all leaders present, referred to Rahul Gandhi as "our favourite". Today's meeting, she said, was "very good, constructive, fruitful". The next meeting in Mumbai will also focus on a Common Minimum Programme, she added.

The opposition meeting coincided with the NDA meeting in Delhi, where the BJP, in a grand show of strength, has gathered together 38 allies.

Refering to the Delhi meet, Mr Kharge claimed the BJP is running scared. "Earlier, they (the BJP) never cared. They never spoke... Tukde tukde ho gaya tha (the NDA was in pieces)...  Now PM is trying to put them together. It shows he is afraid of the Opposition," Mr Kharge said.

About the parties attending the NDA meet, he added, "Don't know who they are. If they are registered parties, I have not heard that there are so many parties in India".