After the second day of the Opposition meeting in Bengaluru on Tuesday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that the fight is not between the Opposition and the ruling party, it is between BJP and I.N.D.I.A, which stands for ‘Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance.’
"This was our second meeting. We had a productive and smooth day in terms of fulfilling the agenda for today. The fight is with BJP's ideology. They are attacking India. Employment is widespread. India's assets are going into the hands of a selected few. The fight is not between the ruling party and the opposition, it is the fight for India's voice which has been suppressed. That is why we have selected this name ‘Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance’. The fight is between Narendra Modi and India. The fight is between his ideology and India. We will next meet in Maharashtra and our next effort will be towards forming an action plan and reaching out to people,” said Rahul.
Pact over seat sharing and creation of state-wise committees
As per reports, during the meeting, the opposition parties signed a pact over seat sharing and creation of state-wise committees. They discussed politics of hatred, the failures of the Central government and raised their voices against the administration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as per sources to news agency IANS.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge tweeted: “I am happy that 26 parties are present in Bengaluru to work unitedly. Together, we are in government in 11 states today. The BJP did not get 303 seats by itself. It used the votes of its allies and came to power and then discarded them.The BJP President and their leaders are running from state-to-state to patch up with their old allies. They are scared that the unity they see here will result in their defeat next year. Every institution is being turned into a weapon against the opposition. Our intention in this meeting is not to gain power for ourselves. It is to protect Democracy, Secularism and Social Justice. Let us resolve to take India back to the path of progress, welfare and true democracy.”
Prior to the official closed-door negotiations on Tuesday in Bengaluru, the 26 parties had supper together there. In preparation for the general elections in 2024, the opposition parties met for the second time to discuss how to present a unified front against the BJP, which is now in power.
"Game changer" for Indian political landscape
The key conference will create the narrative and might prove to be a "game changer" for the Indian political scene, according to the Congress and 25 other parties.
The opposition parties are expected to announce the formation of two subcommittees: one to develop a blueprint for problems that should be addressed jointly and the other to finalise the agreed minimum agenda along with communication points.
Meanwhile, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is hosting a meeting concurrently with the Opposition conference in Delhi, where several new allies are anticipated to join the ruling BJP-led coalition. The Delhi conclave is expected to draw a total of 38 parties, and the BJP is eager to put on a powerful show of unity.
