New Name Decided for the Opposition Mahagathbandhan, Official Announcement to be Made at the Meeting in Shimla
Following a recent meeting of opposition parties, the opposition alliance has undergone a renaming process. The alliance will now be called the Patriotic Democratic Alliance (PDA) or Deshbhakt Loktantrik Gathbandhan in Hindi. The leader of the left-wing parties, D. Raja, had announced the new name for the united front. According to sources, all parties have reached a consensus on this name. The official announcement of the new name will be made during the upcoming opposition meeting in Shimla.
It is noteworthy that a meeting of opposition parties led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government was held in Patna on June 23. The meeting was called by Nitish Kumar, the head of the ruling Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) government in Bihar. Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Indian National Congress and son of UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, attended the meeting. While the name was not announced after the meeting, D. Raja, the left-wing leader, had revealed the new name for the united front.
Seal to be Set on PDA in Shimla: D. Raja
Fourteen out of fifteen parties were present before the media. However, none of these parties made an official announcement regarding the new name. D. Raja, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India, had stated that the united front called the Patriotic Democratic Alliance (PDA) would be officially sealed at the next month’s meeting in Shimla. After the party’s state executive meeting in Bihar, Raja had said that the parties assembled from all over the country on the call of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had taken the pledge to remove the BJP from power. During the meeting in Shimla, the outline of the alliance and the announcement of the new name and coordinator will be made.
UPA Dominated by Sonia, Not Easy to Dissolve
Sunil Kumar Sinha, the director of the Chanakya School of Political Rights and Research, says, “It will not be easy for the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) to dissolve itself by merging nearly a dozen and a half parties that contest elections together. This is because Sonia Gandhi is the chairperson of the UPA, and if such a front is formed with a new name, her role will cease to exist. Moreover, it is also challenging for a new alliance to emerge at the national level as long as the UPA exists. As far as the Mahagathbandhan is concerned, Nitish Kumar is the head, and he will not insist on a particular name. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) will also acknowledge the existence of the Mahagathbandhan in Bihar, so there is no crisis here.”
Spokespersons in Bihar Remain Silent
After the meeting of anti-BJP parties who came together for opposition unity, no announcement was made regarding the new name. However, the left-wing national leader had stirred up a debate by revealing the new name. Regarding this, the spokespersons of political parties in Bihar refrained from making direct comments. Congress spokesperson Rajesh Rathore stated that the UPA exists at the national level, with Sonia Gandhi as its chairperson. The decision to dissolve it or form a new alliance can only be made by national-level leaders. RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari stated that a meeting was held in Patna on the invitation of the Mahagathbandhan. If any new name was finalized during the meeting, we would have been informed as well.