Rahul Gandhi faces backlash over 'India alliance' correction at Georgetown University event

During a recent event at Georgetown University in the United States, Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP, found himself in the spotlight when a student mistakenly referred to the opposition coalition challenging the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as the “INDI Alliance.” Gandhi swiftly corrected the student, asserting, “It’s not INDI alliance. That’s a BJP framing, it’s INDIA alliance.”

Clarification on terminology

Gandhi elaborated that the term “INDI Alliance” is employed by the BJP to misrepresent the objectives of the opposition bloc. He emphasized that the INDIA Bloc aims to highlight the message that “India is being attacked” in the context of the upcoming elections. When pressed by the student about the meaning of the last letter in the acronym, Gandhi responded, “Alliance.” The student then questioned whether using “INDIA alliance” was redundant, suggesting it might be repetitive.

BJP criticism and reactions

The incident quickly drew criticism from BJP members. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala mocked Gandhi by sharing a video of the exchange on social media. Poonawala’s post included commentary highlighting the controversy over Gandhi’s explanation. Additionally, BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya joined the criticism, remarking that it took a student abroad to correct “third-time fail” Rahul Gandhi, pointing out that the correct term is “I.N.D.I Alliance” rather than “I.N.D.I.A Alliance.”

Owned & how!

Student: Indi alliance - does it agree on anything except of removal of PM Modi…

Rahul : incoherent stuff.. incoherent stuff.. by the way it is I.N.D.I.A alliance not INDI.. that’s a BJP framing..

Student: What does A stand for?

Rahul: Alliance

Student:… pic.twitter.com/mkmihnUnAy

— Shehzad Jai Hind (Modi Ka Parivar) (@Shehzad_Ind) September 10, 2024