AMN / BENGALURU
At least 26 opposition political parties huddled in Bengaluru, Karnataka on Monday, for the second high profile unity meeting, to decide their strategy to oust the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The agenda of this meeting include setting up of a sub-committee for drafting the common minimum program and communication points for the alliance for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and also to discuss the process for decision on seat sharing on a state to state basis.
After the meeting concluded, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that like-minded opposition parties will closely work together to foster an agenda of social justice, inclusive development and national welfare. “We want an India which is governed by Constitutional principles of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity,” he said.
The meeting on July 18 will begin at 11 a. m. Ahead of the meeting, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah hosted a dinner for leaders of Opposition parties. More than 50 leaders from different parties attended the meeting on Monday.
The meeting in Bengaluru follows the first such gathering in Patna last month to forge an anti-BJP political front. While this meeting was scheduled to be held at Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, it was moved to Bengaluru due to the weather conditions in the hill State.
Party sources said that more meetings are likely to be held before arriving at a consensus on seat sharing, probable common programme and strategy to highlight the failure of BJP government at the Centre.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday said he has spoken with NCP chief Sharad Pawar and was informed that he would participate in the Opposition meeting in Bengaluru on July 18.
Responding to reports that Pawar would skip the Opposition meeting on Monday and take part in it on Tuesday, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh rejected such insinuations, saying the official meeting of opposition parties is on Tuesday and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is only hosting a dinner on Monday.
Asked about Pawar, Kharge, while interacting with reporters, said he has spoken with Pawar earlier in the day. “He said the (Maharashtra) Assembly is starting there today and he would like to be there (Mumbai). But he will be present for the meeting tomorrow. I called him up to say that it is important for him to come… He said he is coming on July 18 morning, there is no concern about that,” Kharge said.
Jammu and Kashmir National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah on Monday said that something more “substantive” will be done in the opposition meeting being held in Karnataka’s Bengaluru.
Abdullah reached Bengaluru to attend the two-day meeting of Opposition parties.
“This is only the second meeting. Obviously, I hope that something more substantive will be done in this meeting because the last meeting was just the beginning. We wanted to see how many parties are attending, and what their individual points of view are. This is the second in the series of meetings, we need to have something more substantive,” he said while talking to the reporters.