Hours after reports emerged that the Opposition meeting scheduled for July 13-14 in Bengaluru would be postponed, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal on Monday (July 3) tweeted informing that the Opposition meeting would now be held in Bengaluru on July 17-18. "After a hugely successful All-Opposition meeting in Patna, we will be holding the next meeting in Bengaluru on 17 and 18 July, 2023," tweeted KC Venugopal.
"We are steadfast in our unwavering resolve to defeat the fascist and undemocratic forces and present a bold vision to take the country forward," said KC Venugopal in his tweet.
June 23 Patna meeting
The opposition meeting to be held in Bengaluru was after the June 23 Opposition meeting that was conducted by Patna with Bihar CM Nitish Kumar playing host. The meeting in Patna had seen the participation of 16 opposition parties. KC Venugopal in his tweet informing about the new dates of meeting called the Patna meeting of opposition parties as "hugely successful".
AAP vs Congress over Delhi Services Ordinance Bill
The opposition meeting held in Patna did not fetch the perfect outcome for the Opposition as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) demanded that the Congress support it on the Delhi control of services ordinance. However, the Congress said that it cannot be made to decide its stand on the issue with a gun on its head.
Opposition had earlier decided to meet in Bengaluru on July 13-14
The Opposition parties had decided to next meet in Bengaluru on July 13-14. However, with Sharad Pawar facing a daunting task of keeping the NCP flok together in Maharashtra and him being an important and senior most leader in the opposition camp, reports came of the meeting being postponed. However, KC Venugopal's tweet has made it clear that the Opposition meeting will take place on July 17-18.
Earlier agenda of 2nd opposition meeting
Before the NCP crisis, the main focus of the Opposition meeting was on deciding the framework of a common minimum programme and developing a slogan against the Bharatiya Janata Party for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections where the spotlight would be on the “caste census, attack on freedom of expression, political witch hunt of rivals, and misuse of the ED and CBI".
New Agenda of 2nd opposition meeting
But now, the July 17-18 meeting will focus on how political parties will be targeted and the BJP will try to poach and split them. When both Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi spoke to Sharad Pawar, they reassured him that everyone would be together in this and it would also be the issue on which the opposition parties would target the BJP.
Will DMK participate?
Opposition managers were a bit apprehensive about DMK's participation in Bengaluru as well, because of the simmering Mekedatu issue between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, but sources in DMK said Chief Minister M K Stalin would attend the meeting as "he is clear about the necessity of forging opposition unity now or never."
