MILES TO GO

An ambitious national alliance-building exercise to challenge PM Modi and the BJP in 2024 takes baby steps. But many contradictions still need ironing out

- Kaushik Deka, Amitabh Srivastava and Prashant Srivastava

IT came after much cogitation, a lot of pre-nuptial bargaining and at least one false start. But the muhurat finally came on June 23, when all of 32 leaders from 15 parties-former and current chief ministers among them-converged on Patna. They had one common mission: dislodging the Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre in the 2024 general election. Convened by Bihar chief minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar, its stated objective was to "save Indian democracy" from Modi's "fascist, autocratic regime". West Bengal CM and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee took the mic to issue a dire warning: "If the BJP wins the next [Lok Sabha] election, India may no longer exist in the future...there will be no more elections."

But this gathering-the first national alliance-building exercise against the ruling BJP in the past nine years-is not just aimed at saving Indian democracy. It's also triggered by an existential crisis, the beginnings of which can be traced back to March 24, when 14 parties moved the Supreme Court against the "indiscriminate use of central agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) against Opposition leaders". It was the same day that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from the Lok Sabha, following his conviction in a defamation case. Rahul's ouster from Parliament made the Opposition believe that the Modi-led BJP had hit a new low in the politics of retribution. Not surprisingly, it saw 19 political parties protesting together in Delhi.