'Sounds Like NDA': Nitish Kumar Expresses Reservations About Opposition Front Named 'INDIA' At Bengaluru Conclave

As discussions took place at the Bengaluru conclave on Tuesday (18 july) regarding the name for the opposition front, one leader who needed to be convinced was Nitish Kumar.

Following the meeting, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge announced that the alliance of opposition parties, aiming to strategize against the ruling BJP in 2024, would be referred to as "I.N.D.I.A" — an acronym for Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance.

During the discussions, Nitish Kumar reportedly raised concerns about how an opposition alliance could be named INDIA. He also expressed reservations about an acronym containing the letters 'NDA' and the similarity between both names.

The Bihar Chief Minister had proposed alternative names such as India Main Front and India Main Alliance.

Left leaders expressed hesitation and proposed alternative names such as "Save India Alliance" and "We for India". However, after most parties showed approval for the name INDIA, Nitish Kumar agreed to it.

Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, responded by saying, "If all of you are okay with the name INDIA, then it is fine".

As per a report in NDTV, another point of discussion was the similarity between the acronym "Democratic" and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). To avoid confusion, the Congress suggested changing the "D" in INDIA to "Developmental".

The BJP ridiculed the opposition for the confusion caused by different leaders using "Democratic" and "Developmental" in their versions of the name.

Reports indicate that Mamata Banerjee and Rahul Gandhi have been credited with naming the alliance as INDIA.

According to Thol Thirumavalavan, the leader of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, it was Mamata Banerjee who suggested the name.

Thol Thirumavalavan stated, "Mamata Banerjee proposed the name for the opposition alliance, which was eventually decided to be called Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance after a lengthy discussion."

Contrarily, Jitendra Awhad, a leader of the NCP, claimed that Rahul Gandhi came up with the idea during a meeting of opposition parties in Bangalore. He mentioned, "Rahul Gandhi proposed naming this alliance as INDIA, and his creativity was highly appreciated. All the parties agreed and decided to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections under the name INDIA".

Rahul Gandhi reportedly suggested the name, but it was ultimately decided that Mamata Banerjee would formally propose it. During the press briefing, the Chief Minister of Bengal referred to the name as "Our favourite Rahul Gandhi".

In response to the BJP's criticism, which included a comparison between "INDIA" and "Bharat," the opposition front has announced its tagline — Jeetega Bharat (India will win).

After extensive discussions late last night, the tagline was chosen. It is said that Uddhav Thackeray proposed that the alliance should have a Hindi tagline.

The next opposition meeting will take place in Mumbai and will be hosted by Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena faction.

The coalition's leaders from 26 opposition parties held discussions on selecting a suitable candidate to represent the coalition. The decision-making process will involve an 11-member coordination committee consisting of all major parties.

Additionally, the Congress announced plans to establish a campaign management 'secretariat' in Delhi.

Sushil Kumar Modi, a senior BJP leader, suggested that Nitish Kumar may have left Bengaluru early without attending the press briefing due to his disappointment at not being appointed as the Convener of the new coalition.

Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) criticized the comment, stating that the Chief Minister had to leave early in order to catch his flight.

Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) criticized the comment, stating that the Chief Minister had to leave early in order to catch his flight.