Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin said the motive of the Opposition alliance, named INDIA, was that BJP should be defeated and the prime ministerial face of the front was not important. In an exclusive interview with ABP Nadu, Stalin said it was important that a "democratic, secular, egalitarian India" was protected.


When asked on the Opposition's PM face, Stalin said, "More than who the PM is, it is important that a democratic, secular, egalitarian India is protected. After the Bengaluru meeting, I said that the alliance was based on the fact that who should not come to power. As a result, the motive is that BJP should be defeated. If Modi-led or BJP-led by anyone comes to power, India's integrity and state rights will be called into question."


When asked about DMK announcing Rahul Gandhi as the face of the Opposition front in the previous election, Stalin recalled the unexpected appointment of Manmohan Singh as the PM and his successful career.


Stalin said, "In 2004, when United Progressive Alliance came to power,  no one announced or expected that Dr Manmohan Singh would be made the Prime Minister. We should not forget that under his leadership stable rule of 10 years paved the way for India's sustained growth."


On the meeting of 26 Opposition parties in Bengaluru, Stalin said he opined that everyone should be united at the national level. 


"I said that whichever party is strong in a state, the alliance should be formed under their leadership in that state. I also shared with the media that if oppressed and underprivileged people are to be safeguarded, then BJP must not come to power again," he said. 


"'INDIA' was formed in Bengaluru meeting to give full shape to the thoughts of alliance leaders who expressed their opinion like me," the TN CM further said.


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(With inputs from ABP Nadu — It is a Tamil platform of ABP News. For more news, commentary and latest happenings from Tamil Nadu, follow https://tamil.abplive.com/)/amp  ALSO READ: ABP Exclusive: BJP's Countdown Has Started From Bengaluru, Says TN CM Stalin On 2024 LS Polls