New Delhi: On Sunday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi made a significant announcement, revealing that the I.N.D.I.A. alliance, consisting of opposition parties led by the Congress, was not preparing to fight the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming elections but, in his words, "the Indian state."
Speaking at 'The Conclave 2023' organized by Pratidin Media Network in Delhi, Rahul Gandhi stated, "We are not fighting now a political party, we are fighting the Indian state…" He went on to assert that the I.N.D.I.A. alliance is supposedly fighting to preserve the 'idea of India.' He said, ''Go and ask any businessman in India what happens to them if they support an opposition party. If they were to write a cheque for any opposition party, ask them what happens to them. So we are facing a financial attack, a media attack and we're doing pretty well...We are not fighting now a political party, we are fighting the Indian state and we are fighting to defend the idea of India. And that is why we have given our name INDIA."
This statement isn't the first time Rahul Gandhi has made controversial remarks about India. In the past, he challenged the idea of India as a nation, emphasizing that India is described in the Indian Constitution as a union of states and not a nation. He insinuated that India did not have a single national identity, instead, the idea of India arose from an agreement or negotiation between the provincial units.
Rahul Gandhi's recent comments come in the context of opposition parties forming the I.N.D.I.A. alliance, consisting of 26 opposition parties, to compete against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the 2024 general elections. This coalition, known as the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), includes two national and 24 regional parties, with a total of 142 Lok Sabha MPs, including parties led by the chief ministers of seven different states. Rahul Gandhi's repeated assertions regarding India's identity and his stance on the idea of India have generated significant debate and discussion within the political landscape.
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