'BJP should go to Pakistan if they don't like India'

Maqsood Maniyar | NT

Bengaluru: The Opposition alliance of 26 parties on Tuesday announced it had rechristened itself 'Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge, who chaired the Opposition meeting, also revealed that they would constitute an 11-member co-ordination committee which would decide on a pan-India seatsharing arrangement for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the PM candidate, among other details.

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shinate took offence to BJP trying to bring about a distinction between India and ‘Bharat’.

“I would like to tell BJP if you have a problem with India, go to Pakistan,” she said, adding that BJP named initiatives Start-Up India, Digital India, Khelo India etc. Kharge said a convenor would also be named.

He added that a common secretariat would be set up in Delhi for campaign management and issue-specific committees would also come up. It is being widely circulated that West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee came up with the idea that the alliance should call itself INDIA and think up an expansion to fit the same.

“An 11-member coordination committee will be set up, which we’ll decide shortly. We are going to meet again in Maharashtra, Mumbai. There, we’ll discuss the names of the coordinators. The 11 members will be announced there,” Kharge said.

The coalition partners also endorsed a resolution covering various political and economic issues.