KOLKATA: India’s main opposition parties joined forces against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday at a rally which attracted hundreds of thousands of people months ahead of elections. The 23 regional groups said they forged a common front to stop Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, which beat the main opposition Congress and regional parties in 2014. Hundreds of thousands of people flocked to Kolkata from rural Bengal for the rally, bringing disruption to the city. Missing from Saturday’s lineup was Rahul Gandhi, president of the main opposition Congress party and leaders of the left parties, reflecting tensions among opposition parties on who would be their prime ministerial candidate against Modi. The BJP dismissed the prospects of an opposition alliance, questioning who would lead such a coalition.

Source: Pakistan Today January 19, 2019 14:26 UTC