Opposition parties have taken the next step after their meeting in Patna last month by giving a name to their alliance which largely suggests the theme on which they plan to fight the BJP in the 2024 elections.
The conclave of 26 parties in Bengaluru on Monday and Tuesday decided to call themselves I.N.D.I.A, which they expect will help them to counter the BJP on the nationalism plank that it has tried to appropriate. They also hope it will put into the focus of their campaign another strong theme of the BJP and, importantly, project an inclusive India as their India, as opposed to the BJP’s divisive Hindutva agenda.
It has also decided on Jeetega Bharat as its tagline, partly to pre-empt the BJP from claiming ownership of the idea of Bharat and also to make out that it represents both India and Bharat. These are aspirational names and descriptions that seek to define an electoral collective and its platform, but it should be borne in mind that none, individual or party, has lived or died by a name. The name is not the style, nor the content, nor even the identity and nature of the one that bears it.
The Opposition initiative has moved forward from Patna – 26 parties are now part of it, up from 17 -- but has suffered setbacks, too. NCP leader Sharad Pawar is weaker now after the split in his party in Maharashtra. The JD(S) in Karnataka has made its leaning toward the BJP explicit. On the positive side, the Congress, the largest party, has been more accommodative of its regional rivals AAP and Trinamool Congress, who have responded well. All the leaders claiming to represent the complete and genuine India were confident and assertive. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge acknowledged that there were differences but said the parties had put them behind and would contest the elections unitedly.
But the alliance has far to go to make itself a credible challenger to the BJP. Positions are not policies and claims and slogans are just what they are. These have to be translated into ideas that appeal to the people. The people should trust the alliance and its leaders to stay together and implement them. It is also not certain that the alliance will stay in its present shape in the weeks and months to come. Differences and contradictions cannot always be waved away and can impact unity. There were reports that the leaders from Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD leader Lalu Prasad, had reservations about the I.N.D.I.A name. But it can be said that an Opposition alliance is taking shape and the outlines of the 2024 contest are becoming clearer.