It’s going to be INDIA versus Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha poll next year.
Yesterday, at the end of their two-day meet in Bengaluru, a consortium of 26 opposition parties from across India announced that their alliance will be called the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance. Or INDIA, for short.
Major parties in attendance included the Congress, Trinamool Congress, Janata Dal United, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Nationalist Congress Party, Shiv Sena (UBT), Rashtriya Janata Dal, Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist), People’s Democratic Party and National Conference.
And, of course, the Aam Aadmi Party, which arrived after the Congress agreed to oppose the central government’s controversial Delhi ordinance.
With so much buzz, we turned to today’s front pages to see how they reported on INDIA.
The Hindu’s Chennai edition kept it prosaic and to the point: “Opposition’s team INDIA to take on NDA in LS poll”. The 26 parties “pledged to safeguard the ‘idea of India’ as enshrined in the Constitution”, to “fight the BJP’s ‘poisonous campaign of hate’ against minorities”, and to “stop rising crimes against women, Dalits, Adivasis and Kashmiri Pandits”. They also vowed to implement a caste census.
Hindustan Times in Delhi had the INDIA meet alongside a report on the National Democratic Alliance’s 39-party conclave in Delhi. While INDIA pledged to “challenge the NDA”, Modi said “India trusts the NDA”.
A smaller story on page 1 was on Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge saying his party was “not interested” in the prime ministerial post.
Indian Express’s headline shouted “To counter NDA, Opp unites to float INDIA”. The report had interesting snippets on how the name came to be. For example, “not all seemed to be on board over the name for the new front. Sources said Bihar Chief Minister and JDU leader Nitish Kumar asked how a political party could be named INDIA”.
Mamata Banerjee “proposed the name” while Sitaram Yechury, D Raja and G Devarajan “did not appear convinced and went into a huddle midway through the meeting”. The name, however, was “suggested first” by Rahul Gandhi, who wanted it to be cleared by Mamata Banerjee, the report said, citing sources.
Indian Express also had an editorial on INDIA, saying that in the run-up to 2024, “the UPA’s cast of characters need a more vibrant script rather than a mere tweak in title”. “The cause of Opposition unity needs to be larger than the threat perceptions of its individual members for another reason.”
In Chennai, The New Indian Express had INDIA and NDA side by side on page one. The report explained how the alliance would form a 11-member “coordination committee” and a “secretariat” to take its plans forward.
The Delhi edition of The Times of India split its front page across a flap.
Since it does not make for good screenshots, here’s also picture of its Chennai edition.
In Chennai, the newspaper made the choice to lead with Modi’s NDA meet, not the INDIA announcement. Modi “launched a blistering attack on the constituents of the opposition combine, saying they were engaged in corruption and dividing people and were driven by the twin considerations of promoting their families and protecting themselves from being prosecuted”.
Finally, The Telegraph, which used a Reuters photograph of the Taj Mahal alongside a temple to make a point.
The Kolkata paper said: “Mamata Banerjee has a knack for giving names to newborns ranging from babies to institutions to schemes to buildings and even flyovers. On Tuesday, the Bengal chief minister proposed the name of a newborn entity – Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) – and scores of leaders endorsed it.”
Of course, it’s not going to be smooth sailing for the new alliance, catchy name notwithstanding. There are miles to go and obstacles to overcome. Read this piece in Newslaundry on four immediate challenges that INDIA will need to navigate.
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