Alliance called INDIA resolves to fight \u201csystemic conspiracy by BJP to target, persecute and suppress our fellow Indians\u201d
\nNew Delhi
\nAs many as 26 Indian opposition parties have formed an alliance titled \u201cINDIA\u201d to challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in parliamentary elections due next year.
\nINDIA stands for \u201cIndian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance\u201d, said Congress party President Mallikarjun Kharge.
\n\u201cThe main aim is to stand together to safeguard democracy and the constitution,\u201d Kharge told reporters at the end of a two-day meeting of 26 opposition parties in the southern city of Bengaluru.
\nThe opposition parties\u2019 second meeting in a month is part of their efforts to iron out differences to build a common platform ahead of next year\u2019s elections.
\nThe parties account for less than half the 301 seats BJP has in the 542-member lower house of parliament.
\nCongress party leader Rahul Gandhi said this is a fight between opposition\u2019s INDIA and BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). \u201cWe are defending the Constitution, voice of Indians and the idea of India\u2026The fight is between NDA and INDIA, Narendra Modi and INDIA, his ideology and INDIA,\u201d NDTV quoted Gandhi as saying.
\nThe BJP has criticised the opposition group as an alliance of opportunists and the corrupt and is on Tuesday holding a meeting of the 38-party National Democratic Alliance it heads.
\nA statement from the INDIA alliance said the \u201ccharacter of our republic is being severely assaulted in a systematic manner by the BJP\u201d and pledged to \u201csafeguard the idea of India as enshrined in the Constitution\u201d.
\nIn the first indication of a common political and economic policy, the alliance said it would focus on fighting rising prices and unemployment.
\n\u201cWe must build a fair economy with a strong and strategic public sector as well as a competitive and flourishing private sector, in which the spirit of enterprise is fostered and given every opportunity to expand,\u201d it said.
\n\u201cWe resolve to fight the systemic conspiracy by BJP to target, persecute and suppress our fellow Indians,\u201d it said.
\n\u201cFrom today, it\u2019s a real challenge,\u201d said Mamata Banerjee, chief minister of the eastern state of West Bengal and a key opposition leader. \u201cCatch us if you can.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Alliance called INDIA resolves to fight \u201csystemic conspiracy by BJP to target, persecute and suppress our fellow Indians\u201d New Delhi As many as 26 Indian opposition parties have formed an alliance titled \u201cINDIA\u201d to challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in parliamentary elections due next year. INDIA stands for \u201cIndian National Developmental […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":343998,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-343981","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n