BENGALURU: A congregation of more than 50 leaders of 25 parties for the opposition bloc's two-day unity conclave in Bengaluru from Monday prompted Congress to claim that BJP-led NDA was already rattled, citing the saffron party's meeting with existing and prospective allies in New Delhi slated for Tuesday as a sign of it “suddenly remembering the alliance” and “trying to regroup”.
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Opposition Party Meeting: 26 Opposition party Leaders assemble in Bengaluru to chalk out 2024 Roadmap
“The PM and BJP woke up to NDA's existence after the first opposition meeting in Patna last month (June 23). And to think they weren't even mentioning NDA all these years when talking about their government. The fact that they felt the need to breathe life into the alliance now shows how much impact our unity has had on them,” AICC general secretary KC Venugopal said at a presser.
He revealed the anti-NDA bloc in the making would get a name distinct from UPA, reflecting the shared goals of all the potential constituents, including some that aren't part of the Congress-led alliance. Three names are being discussed, sources said.
A dinner hosted by Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah at a private hotel saw the entire flock of non-NDA leaders, except NCP chief Sharad Pawar, in attendance. Pawar is expected before the discussions proper get underway on Tuesday.
The dinner gathering included past Congress presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi along with incumbent Mallikarjun Kharge, Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, her TN counterpart M K Stalin, Bihar's Nitish Kumar, the latter's deputy Tejashwi Yadav, Delhi CM and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, Bhagwant Mann of Punjab, and Jharkhand's Hemant Soren.
RJD president Lalu Prasad, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, PDP supremo Mehbooba Mufti, Omar Abdullah of NC, SP's Akhilesh Yadav and D Raja of CPI were among the other prominent faces. All of them were part of informal discussions throughout the day.
Stalin said the larger objective of so many parties getting together was to “save the country” from “BJP's undemocratic tactics” at a critical juncture.
“India is in danger,” he said. "After Patna, we the secular and democratic forces are here in beautiful Bengaluru #UnitedForDemocracy. Together, we shall safeguard democracy and ensure a brighter future for our great nation."
Former UP CM Akhilesh declared that "Bengaluru will be witness to an important chapter in the country's history".
Congress president Kharge took a dig at PM Modi ahead of the NDA meeting in the national capital, saying, "If he (PM Modi) is stronger than the entire opposition, and he alone is enough for them, why is he getting 30 parties together? Disclose the names of these parties. Are they even registered with the Election Commission?"
Kharge defended Congress' decision to oppose the Delhi ordinance, as demanded by AAP, saying "it is our responsibility to unite if there is any attack on the Constitution".
Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Sanjay Raut said seat-sharing would be a key topic on the agenda for Tuesday.
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