Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and NCP leader Sharad Pawar at the opposition meet, in Bengaluru on July 17, 2023. (Pic/PTI)
Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi on Tuesday claimed that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar returned early from the Opposition meeting in Bengaluru as he was “upset”.
A day after the Opposition selected INDIA as their coalition name, and the BJP took a swipe at them for not being able to stay firm on whether the ‘D’ stands for Developmental or Democratic, reports emerged on Wednesday of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar “leaving the meeting early” and expressing dissatisfaction with the new Opposition name.
The alliance, led by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, has revealed its strategy to challenge the BJP in 2024, and it will be known as the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).
According to media reports, CM Nitish Kumar, was shocked when the Opposition revealed the name. He even questioned how can an alliance be named “INDIA”.
According to a report by India Today, there was no discussion between Congress and Nitish Kumar regarding the alliance name before its revelation.
Reportedly, left leaders expressed hesitation and proposed various alternatives to the alliance name. However, as the majority of parties showed approval for the name, Nitish Kumar reportedly agreed, said an NDTV report.
Nitish Also Unhappy Over Not Being Made Convener: Sushil Modi
Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi on Tuesday claimed that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar returned early from the Opposition meeting in Bengaluru as he was “upset” over not having been made convener of the new coalition – Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).
Kumar’s JD(U) hit back, dubbing the former Deputy CM as someone who makes ridiculous statements and is not taken seriously even within his party.
In a statement issued here, the BJP leader claimed that Kumar deliberately skipped the press conference held after the meeting since he felt slighted over not having been made sanyojak (convener) of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance. He also likened Kumar’s early return from Bengaluru to the action of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at the last month’s opposition meeting here.
The AAP delegation had skipped the press conference after the meet in Patna, and soon afterwards, come out with a statement lashing out at the Congress for not assuring support on the ordinance issue. Some of our friends are not present because their return journeys were scheduled,” Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said at the press conference in Bengaluru.