The opposition unity meeting in Bengaluru has led to a massive development – the opposition alliance will be named the Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance, which is acronymised as INDIA.Opposition alliance named INDIA – Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance, confirms RJD & Shiv Sena(UBT) pic.twitter.com/SxrEquNpaA— ANI (@ANI) July 18, 2023This news, although not officially communicated by an opposition party, has been revealed by various party leaders.Deputy Leader of Shiv Sena (UBT) Priyanka Chaturvedi took to her official Twitter account to write, “So 2024 will be Team NDA vs Team NDA”.“Chak De, India,” she added.So 2024 will be Team INDIAVsTeam NDA Chak De, INDIA!— Priyanka Chaturvedi🇮🇳 (@priyankac19) July 18, 2023The last line was also said by Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Derek OBrien, who also tweeted, “Chak De! INDIA.”Chak De! INDIA— Derek OBrien | ডেরেক ওব্রায়েন (@derekobrienmp) July 18, 2023According to journalist Arvind Gunasekar, the name INDIA was proposed by the Indian National Congress (INC), and while the Left Parties were not keen on the term alliance, it was passed after the majority of parties supported the name.Opposition alliance intend to protect our Constitution: Congress President KhargeIn the inaugural speech on the second day of the opposition meeting in Bengaluru, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said, “Our intention in this meeting is not to gain power for ourselves. It is to protect our Constitution, democracy, secularism and social justice.”While he admitted that certain differences existed between the various opposition parties at the state level, those differences were not ideological in nature. He also said that the Congress party is not interested in political power or even the Prime Ministerial post.“These [ideological] differences are not so big that we cannot put them behind us for the sake of the common man and middle class which is suffering due to inflation, for the sake of our youth who are suffering from unemployment, for the sake of the poor, Dalits, adivasis and the minorities whose rights are being crushed silently behind the scenes,” Kharge told opposition parties in the meeting, as per sources.
