Breakfast Talks Not Palatable to All? Absentees at Rahul Gandhi's Meet Expose Chinks in Oppn Armour

It was a busy day for the Opposition on Tuesday as several parties, led by Congress’ Rahul Gandhi, met up over breakfast to chalk out a strategy for a ‘Mock Parliament’ as the Monsoon Session has been a washout so far with the Opposition cornering the government on the Pegasus snooping row and farmers’ protest.

However, as photos of Gandhi enjoying a lavish spread with several leaders made the rounds, some were quick to notice the absence of key players, hinting at possible chinks in the armour of the Opposition which is trying to cobble up a front to take on the BJP in the 2024 elections.

Leaders of 15 opposition parties attended Gandhi’s breakfast meeting before they pedalled on bicycles in a show of solidarity to Parliament. These included the TMC, DMK, NCP, Shiv Sena, RJD and JMM among others.

However, there were 10 opposition parties which were conspicuous by their absence. These included Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Sukhbir Singh Badal-headed Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Delhi chief minister Arvind Singh Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), HD Kumaraswamy’s Janata Dal (S), Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao-headed Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), Mehbooba Mufti’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Andhra Pradesh chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and Suhaldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) of Om Prakash Rajbhar.

The absence of JD(S) and PDP surprised many. The JD(S) and Congress were coalition partners in the Karnataka government headed by Kumaraswamy in 2018. PDP was also a significant absentee as NC, another member of the Gupkar Alliance, was present in the meeting.

Out of 30 states with assembly, ruling parties of at least 21 were not represented in the meeting. Also, there was no representation from parties of the Northeast.

After the morning meeting, Rahul Gandhi posted two tweets. The first one said “One priority – our country, our people.”

A Congress spokesperson described the meet as “historic”, saying it was a trailer for 2024.

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