Express News Service
NEW DELHI: The second edition of the meeting of Opposition parties is set to begin in Bengaluru on Monday on a stronger footing with the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) resolving their differences over the Centre’s ordinance on control of services in Delhi.
According to sources, leaders of at least 24 ‘like-minded’ parties will attend the meeting, called by the Congress, to chalk out strategies to forge an anti-BJP front in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The leaders will attend a dinner hosted by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday evening, followed by formal meetings the next day.
The AAP decided to participate in the meeting on Sunday, a day after the Congress said it would oppose the Centre’s ordinance. “Not only the Delhi ordinance, we will not support any attempt to sabotage federalism in the country,” said AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal.
Earlier, the AAP had said that it would not attend the joint Opposition meeting if the Congress doesn’t publicly denounce the ordinance. A galaxy of prominent Opposition leaders is expected to attend the Bengaluru meet, including Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, and Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad, among others.
This is the second joint meeting of Opposition parties to chalk out a strategy to fight the BJP in 2024. The first meeting was convened by Bihar CM Nitish Kumar in Patna on June 23. The BRS, YSRCP, and BJD are unlikely to attend the meeting. They had skipped the first meeting, too. While the session is taking place amid a vertical split in the NCP, party leaders said it will not dampen unity efforts.
CPI(M) Rajya Sabha M P Elamaram Kareem told TNIE that internal contradictions among regional parties won’t hamper attempts to cobble a common front against the BJP at the national level, adding that the meeting will discuss pragmatic ways to recalibrate strategies in state-level alliances. “Our common minimum goal is to defeat the BJP in the next election,” said RSP MP N K Premachandran.
BJP downplays Oppn meetThe BJP sought to downplay the Bengaluru meet, saying the opposition parties are a ‘divided lot’ and have no specific programme other than to defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
NEW DELHI: The second edition of the meeting of Opposition parties is set to begin in Bengaluru on Monday on a stronger footing with the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) resolving their differences over the Centre’s ordinance on control of services in Delhi.
According to sources, leaders of at least 24 ‘like-minded’ parties will attend the meeting, called by the Congress, to chalk out strategies to forge an anti-BJP front in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The leaders will attend a dinner hosted by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday evening, followed by formal meetings the next day.
The AAP decided to participate in the meeting on Sunday, a day after the Congress said it would oppose the Centre’s ordinance. “Not only the Delhi ordinance, we will not support any attempt to sabotage federalism in the country,” said AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
Earlier, the AAP had said that it would not attend the joint Opposition meeting if the Congress doesn’t publicly denounce the ordinance. A galaxy of prominent Opposition leaders is expected to attend the Bengaluru meet, including Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, and Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad, among others.
This is the second joint meeting of Opposition parties to chalk out a strategy to fight the BJP in 2024. The first meeting was convened by Bihar CM Nitish Kumar in Patna on June 23. The BRS, YSRCP, and BJD are unlikely to attend the meeting. They had skipped the first meeting, too. While the session is taking place amid a vertical split in the NCP, party leaders said it will not dampen unity efforts.
CPI(M) Rajya Sabha M P Elamaram Kareem told TNIE that internal contradictions among regional parties won’t hamper attempts to cobble a common front against the BJP at the national level, adding that the meeting will discuss pragmatic ways to recalibrate strategies in state-level alliances. “Our common minimum goal is to defeat the BJP in the next election,” said RSP MP N K Premachandran.
BJP downplays Oppn meet
The BJP sought to downplay the Bengaluru meet, saying the opposition parties are a ‘divided lot’ and have no specific programme other than to defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
