Confusion Around What D Stands For In INDIA

The Opposition Parties on Tuesday announced that the anti-BJP alliance will be called INDIA. However, the acronym led to a lot of confusion.

Addressing a joint press conference after a meeting of 26 opposition parties in Bengaluru, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said, "Our alliance will be called Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA),"

However, some media houses reported that the letter 'D' stood for 'Democratic'. According to them, INDIA stood for Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance. What added fuel to the confusion is NCP Chief Sharad Pawar's tweet.

He said, "United We stand with I - Indian N - National D - Democratic I - Inclusive A - Alliance," with the hashtag #SaveDemocracy. Soon he edited the tweet replacing D in INDIA for 'Developmental'.

BJP leader Amit Malviya took a swipe at the Opposition bloc over the confusion and tweeted, "D stands for Democratic or Developmental? Those who can't arrive at a consensus on something as simple and existential as this, are hoping to run the country... 🤷‍♂️ The joke is on those, who take this motley group of self serving political heirlooms seriously."

Meanwhile, sounding the bugle for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, 26 opposition parties on Tuesday formed an anti-BJP front Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi declaring it will unitedly fight Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the "idea of India".

As leaders of the opposition parties threw a challenge to the BJP-led NDA putting behind "some differences" and targeted the Prime Minister, Modi hit back, telling a National Democratic Alliance meeting that India has long tradition of coalitions, but those formed based on negativity have never succeeded.