Priya Aditi
The Congress announced that as many as 26 political parties from across the nation will participate in the Opposition’s two-day mega meeting in Bengaluru commencing on Monday in preparation for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections against the Bharatiya Janata Party.
At a press conference in the state capital of Karnataka, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh refuted media allegations that some senior leaders will not attend the meeting on Monday, but will on Tuesday.
Nitish Kumar, the chief minister of Bihar, convened the first opposition gathering on June 23 in Patna.
“On June 23, we held a productive and effective opposition party meeting in Patna. This meeting is a continuation of that one. Tomorrow’s meeting will commence at 11 a.m. KC Venugopal, general secretary of the Congress, stated at a press briefing that 26 political parties from all over India are participating in the meeting.
“I categorically refute the allegations that some senior leaders will not attend today’s meeting, but will tomorrow. According to reports, Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar will attend the July 18 opposition meeting in Bengaluru, as stated by Ramesh.
Ramesh asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP are perplexed by the Opposition gathering, stating, “After the Patna meeting, which was attended by 24 parties, the PM abruptly thought of the NDA. There are efforts underway to revitalise the NDA. Suddenly, it was reported that tomorrow’s NDA meeting has been scheduled. This is the result of the Patna summit.”
On July 18, the BJP-led NDA has scheduled a large gathering in New Delhi, where nearly 30 parties are slated to participate.
Venugopal alleged that the BJP wishes to stifle the voice of the Opposition and is misusing agencies such as the ED and CBI to achieve this end. “The disqualification of Rahul Gandhi (from the Parliament) is the greatest illustration of this,” said the general secretary of the Congress.
Venugopal responded, “All decisions will be made by us. I cannot disclose the issues that will be discussed at this time. Congress does not make this decision alone. All opposition parties will meet together and make a joint decision.”
The deputy chief minister of Karnataka, DK Shivakumar, who was also present at the press conference, stated that, with a few exceptions, all opposition parties in the country have united “for a good start.” “This is not a meeting of a single political party; rather, it is shaping the future of 140 crore people who are suffering from a variety of concerns…We believe that with this comprehension and unity, we will move forward and see results – just as Karnataka gave us a mandate in 2018, the entire nation will give us a mandate in 2024. “We will move it forward,” said Shivakumar.
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Shivakumar has been tasked with overseeing all preparations for the summit.
