Indian National Congress (INC) chief Sonia Gandhiis slated to hold discussions with as many as 18 prominent Opposition leaders today, including NCP chief Sharad Pawar, West Bengal Chief Minister (CM) Mamata Banerjee and the latter’s Maharashtra counterpart Uddhav Thackeray
To be held virtually, the meeting is aimed at strategizing for putting up a united Opposition front against certain policies of the ruing BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, and reaching out to the public people on the economic slowdown, the alleged mismanagement of COVID-19 by the ruling dispensation, the Pegasus spyware snooping row, and the farmers’ protest, among other issues.
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Jharkhand Chief Minister (CM) Hemant Soren, former Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) CM Farooq Abdullah, former Prime Minister (PM) HD Deve Gowda are also expected to attend the meeting.
The development comes days after the Opposition put up a united front in the Monsoon Session of the Parliament against the government. This, unfortunately, led to the premature conclusion of the House Session as many as two days ahead of schedule. According to reports, this virtual meeting shall be followed up with a physical meet and greet, in form of a lunch or dinner that is to be held in September.
Interestingly, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo and Delhi Chief Minister (CM) Arvind Kejriwal and members of his party, and former National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) have not been invited to participate in the meeting.
Read also: Sonia Gandhi called a meeting on June 24 on the current political situation
Notably, Opposition parties have been accusing the BJP-led government of not allowing debates on certain important issues in the House. The government, on the other hand, has been holding the Opposition responsible for hampering the functioning of the House.
