Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi on Friday held a virtual meeting with leaders of 19 Opposition parties to discuss several issues, including the recently-concluded Monsoon Session of Parliament.
Besides the Congress, leaders of the Trinamool Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party, the DMK, the Shiv Sena, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, the Communist Party of India, the Communist Party of India-Marxist, the National Conference, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the All India United Democratic Front, the VCK, the Loktantrik Janata Dal, the Janata Dal-Secular, the Rashtriya Lok Dal, the Revolutionary Socialist Party, the Kerala Congress-Mani, the Peoples Democratic Party, and the Indian Union Muslim League were present. However, leaders of the Samajwadi Party, the Aam Aadmi Party, and the Bahujan Samaj Party were not there.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, Congress leaders A.K. Antony, and Mallikarjun Kharge, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, CPI leader D. Raja, and PDP's Mehbooba Mufti were among those present.
During the meeting, Sonia Gandhi urged the Opposition parties to "plan systematically" for the 2024 Lok Sabha pollsnd "rise above compulsions" to work unitedly, adding that there was no other option. "We all have our compulsions, but clearly, a time has come when the interests of our nation demand that we rise above them," NDTV quoted the Congress president said as saying. Gandhi said that 2024 polls is "the ultimate goal", adding that "this is a challenge, but together we can and must rise to it because there is simply no alternative to working cohesively together".
Hemant Soren, who is also the chief of the JMM, said: "We have to struggle and resist all anti-people policies in a more cohesive manner. We have to sharpen our attacks on issues like to income increase, inflation, unemployment, farmers issue, and Covid management."
Banerjee, who is the Trinamool Congress chief, said: "We should fight the government collectively."She said that they must forget their internal differences to take the government head on. The Trinamool Congress leader also raised farmers issue and talked about the dictatorship of the central government.
According to news agency ANI, all the Chief Ministers present in the meeting said that the Opposition will have to be united. Non-BJP state governments are being harassed, they added.
Meanwhile, NCP chief Sharad Pawar urged all "those who believe in democracy and secularism" to come together "for saving the democratic principles and ethos" of the country.
Slamming the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the former Union Minister said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has failed to address and resolve issues like inflation, economic slowdown, Covid mitigation, unemployment, border disputes, issue of the minority communities, farmers, etc.
The meeting reportedly was a part of the Congress party's efforts to unite various Opposition parties on key issues to set the platform to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming Assembly elections in five states.
In the recently concluded Monsoon Session of the Parliament, Opposition parties displayed unity, leading to disruption of both Houses.
The Opposition leaders had given several Suspension of Business notices, Adjournment Motion Notice and had sought a discussion on the Pegasus snooping row, along with the farm laws and other issues.
Today's meeting was held in the backdrop of the government demanding strict action against those who indulged in unruly behaviour in the Upper House during the passing of the Insurance Amendment Bill.
