To take on the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in Lok Sabha polls, the Opposition parties are ready to meet for the second time on July 17 and 18 in Karnataka’s Bengaluru. The meeting will be convened by Congress.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has invited all major as well as smaller opposition parties to participate in the meet and show a united front against the BJP.
Leaders of at least 24 non-BJP parties are invited for the meet.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Randeep Surjewala and state home minister Parameshwar took stock of the preparation ahead of the meet.
The first Opposition meet was held in Patna on June 23 this year. It saw participation of 15 parties.
Agenda of the 2nd meet
On July 17, there is set to a be a relatively informal dinner, which will be followed by a more structured formal meeting the next day on Tuesday.
On July 18, the Opposition would in detail strategize its plans to take on the BJP in the next Lok Sabha polls in 2024.
While announcing the dates of the opposition meeting, Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal had said, “We are steadfast in our unwavering resolve to defeat the fascist and undemocratic forces”.
“After a hugely successful all-opposition meeting in Patna, we will be holding the next meeting in Bengaluru on July 17 and 18. We are steadfast in our unwavering resolve to defeat the fascist and undemocratic forces and present a bold vision to take the country forward,” Venugopal added.
Here are the people expected to participate
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was the latest party to confirm its presence on Saturday.
Earlier, AAP had made it clear that it won’t join any alliance with Congress until it shows its stand on the Delhi ordinance issue.
However, a day before the meet, Congress extended with general secretary KC Venugopal saying, “we aren’t going to support it (Centre’s ordinance).” “I think they (AAP) are going to join the meeting tomorrow. As for the ordinance (on control of services in Delhi), our stand is very clear. We are not going to support it,” he added.
Apart from it, Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray, Aaditya Thackeray and MP Sanjay Raut will participate in the “very important” meet, Raut said.
“Uddhav Thackeray, Aaditya Thackeray and I will participate in the opposition meeting that is going to take place in Bengaluru. This is a very important meeting,” Raut told news agency ANI.
According to reports, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, who was absent during the Patna get-together, will attend the Opposition meet this time.
Rahul Gandhi will also likely attend the meet.
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had confirmed on Saturday that she and TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee will participate in the meet.
RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Thursday said that he will be attending the meet too.
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar will be travelling to Bengaluru for the meet. Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin has also confirmed his presence.
Eight new parties set to attend, say sources
Eight other parties, who were not part of the first opposition meeting in Patna will join Monday’s deliberations in Bengaluru, sources said, news agency PTI reported.
These are the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), Kongu Desa Makkal Katchi (KDMK), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), All India Forward Bloc, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), Kerala Congress (Joseph) and Kerala Congress (Mani).
First Opposition meet in Patna
The first opposition meeting, which was attended by around 15 parties, took place in Patna and was hosted by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. All the participating parties had “agreed to fight the Lok Sabha elections together.”
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC Supremo Mamata Banerjee and NCP Chief Sharad Pawar were among the top figures from a total of 15 parties opposed to the BJP who attended the meet.
Since then, a split in Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and his nephew Ajit Pawar’s switch to the Eknath Shinde-BJP coalition in Maharashtra has been a major development surrounding the issue.
However, parties like the Congress and the TMC have shown their support for Sharad and said the opposition unity has strengthened further.
With agency inputs
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