The episode, which began as a straightforward question on coalition dynamics, quickly transformed into a moment that went viral on social media.
The student, questioning Rahul, began pressing him about the vision and practicality of the INDIA alliance, particularly in light of the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections.The student’s query cut straight to the heart of the coalition’s perceived weakness:
“You lead the INDI Alliance, seen as an alternative to the BJP-led NDA. With unresolved seat-sharing issues with Mamata Banerjee’s TMC and Hindutva-based partners like Shiv Sena, how can this coalition function beyond just the removal of Prime Minister Modi?” the student asked.
Rahul, addressing the larger issue of the alliance’s vision, was quick to correct, “INDI is BJP’s framing, it’s INDIA alliance,” he said.
However, the persistent student then questioned what the “A” in INDIA stood for.
The brief silence that followed from Rahul. After a pause, he replied that “A” stood for “Alliance,” a moment that seemed to throw the crowd off balance.
The student further asked whether it wouldn’t make it redundant to call it the INDIA alliance.
Rahul did manage to clarify the ideological foundation of the INDIA bloc. “No, it’s not redundant because the whole idea of the alliance was to put across to the people of India that India is being attacked,” he said, bringing the conversation back to what the alliance stands for, describing it as a united front to challenge what he described as the BJP’s monopolization of power.
Critics from the ruling party were quick to pounce, painting the moment as a representation of the opposition’s broader internal confusion.
This comes amid a row over Rahul’s remarks where he said that today the “fight in India is whether a Sikh person will be able to wear his turban, kada, and visit Gurdwara”.
