Leaders from 24 opposition parties are set to meet in Bengaluru on Monday evening for the first of two meetings to chalk out a strategy to contest the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament. The parties are also likely to start work on a common minimum programme and announce a joint agitational plan to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The leaders are expected to hold discussions on issuing a joint declaration and move forward on their proposal of putting up common opposition candidates in a majority of the Lok Sabha seats. The agenda for the talks would be finalised during discussions before the dinner meeting this evening, according to people in the know. The parties will again meet on Tuesday for the main event.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who is hosting the two-day conclave of opposition parties, in a tweet, said, "May the seeds sown in this peaceful garden of harmony (Karnataka) bear the fruit to restore secular, socialist, and democratic values as enshrined in our Constitution."
Notably, the meeting on Tuesday coincides with the NDA meeting convened on July 18 in Delhi, where some new allies are likely to join the ruling BJP-led coalition.
'A Game Changer'
Addressing a press briefing, the Congress took a swipe at the ruling BJP saying that Opposition unity would be "a game changer" for the Indian political scenario. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said those who used to talk of defeating the opposition parties alone are now making attempts to breathe new life into the NDA which had become a "ghost".
"Attempts are being made to breathe new life into the NDA. There used to be no talk about NDA and suddenly since the past few days we are hearing and reading about it. Suddenly, it was reported that an NDA meeting has been called for tomorrow," Ramesh said.
Meanwhile, Congress general secretary organisation KC Venugopal, addressing the presser alongside Ramesh, said people will teach a lesson to those who have totally failed in governance and cheated them with false promises.
"That is why we have come here... We are very sure that this is going to be a game changer for Indian political scenario and we are very happy to see that after the Patna meeting those who were saying that 'we are very comfortable in defeating the entire Opposition alone', have now started meetings, that is the real success of opposition unity," Venugopal said.
What’s On Dinner Agenda?
A dinner will be hosted by Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah today where the top opposition leaders are expected to finalise their plan. Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi is also expected to be at this gathering to add weight to party chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s efforts for a united Opposition.
Gandhi was requested to attend the Bengaluru dinner as she is the chairperson of the Congress parliamentary committee and also because the meeting will be held in a Congress-ruled state.
The dinner is a precursor to the crucial meeting on Tuesday, the second of such meetings after last month’s introductory meeting at Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s residence.
There is a proposal to set up a subcommittee for drafting a common minimum programme and communication points for the Opposition alliance for the 2024 general elections, the unknown sources told PTI
There will also be talks about setting up a subcommittee for chalking out the joint programme of parties that includes rallies, conventions and agitations. A plan to discuss the process for deciding seat sharing on a state-to-state basis is also on the table. The opposition leaders may also discuss the issue of EVM and suggest reforms to the Election Commission.
The opposition leaders also plan to suggest a name for the alliance.
Who’s Attending, Who’s Not?
The Bengaluru meeting assumes greater importance than the Patna meeting on June 23 as eight more parties – MDMK, KMDMK, Kerala Congress (M), Kerala Congress (J), RSP, Forward Bloc, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) – are attending this time.
Besides, the Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) of Krishna Patel and Tamil Nadu's Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK) led by M H Jawahirullah are likely to join the front after an invite was sent to them too.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), after a lot of deliberation, announced on Sunday that they would be participating in the opposition meet. The change of mind came after the Congress assured that it will oppose the ordinance on Delhi administrative services in Parliament, a key condition put by the Kejriwal-led to attend the talks.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee will give the dinner a miss as she underwent microsurgery on her left knee at the state-run SSKM hospital in Kolkata. She will, however, attend Tuesday’s meeting.
From the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Sharad Pawar will also skip the dinner but attend the main meeting of opposition parties. The 82-year-old leader, who also attended the Patna opposition meeting, will go to Bengaluru tomorrow with his daughter Supriya Sule, a statement read.
Pawar has been at the forefront of attempts to forge a united Opposition to take on the BJP in next year’s Lok Sabha elections.
Other top leaders who set to attend the meeting include Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Rahul Gandhi, Bihar Chief Minister and JDU leader Nitish Kumar, DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, JMM leader and Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, besides former chief ministers Uddhav Thackeray and Lalu Prasad.
