Derek O’Brien, who is one of the best-known and most eloquent faces of INDIA, the opposition alliance of 26 parties, answers several key questions about it during an interview with Karan Thapar.The first set of questions deals with events that have transpired after the Bengaluru meeting. This involves Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s public criticism of TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar’s association with Modi. In addition, the Congress government in Karnataka and the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi have been criticising each other’s Mohalla Clinics.O’Brien is also questioned about the failure of the alliance to attract parties like Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal, K. Chandrashekar Rao’s Bharat Rashtra Samithi, and Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party.After that, he is asked about INDIA’s capability to contest a majority of the Lok Sabha seats in a one-to-one fight. Here, as examples, seat-sharing in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh as well as Punjab and Delhi are discussed.He is also asked about the alliance’s prime ministerial candidate, especially in light of the stay on Rahul Gandhi’s conviction.Third, what does the alliance stand for? In response to Modi’s message of Hindutva, nationalism, and welfarism, what is INDIA offering to the people of India? How credible a challenge can the alliance deliver to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party in next year’s national election?