Congress President Sonia Gandhi has called for the meeting where the Opposition is likely to chart out its future course of action. (File)
Congress President Sonia Gandhi will today chair a meeting of all 18 opposition parties at the Parliamentary library in New Delhi. The agenda of the meeting reportedly includes planning and discussing a strategy to counter the NDA government on several issues after the end of Parliament’s Monsoon session.
Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad had sent out invitations to leaders of opposition parties, including JD (U)’s Sharad Yadav, who has recently criticised party leader Nitish Kumar’s decision to tie-up with the BJP to form government in Bihar. Yadav is likely to be represented at the meeting by Ali Anwar Ansari, as he is currently in Patna. Apart from the top brass of Congress leaders, several other prominent leaders such as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, BSP chief Mayawati, and CPI (M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury are expected to attend the meeting.
Banerjee, who on Thursday met with President Ram Nath Kovind, has been lately advocating for an alliance of all Opposition parties to united against BJP in Lok Sabha 2019 polls. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Mamata had said, “Today I shall meet the new President of the country as per protocol. Tomorrow (Friday), I will attend the meeting of all central Opposition parties. Besides these, I have some official work in Delhi.” The TMC Chief has lately been quite vocal in her criticism against the ruling government and sources from her party say Mamata’s visit to new Delhi is aimed at strengthening and uniting the Opposition before Lok Sabha 2019 elections.
RJD, JD(U), NCP, JMM, DMK, NC, SP, BSP, RLD, JD-S, Kerala Congress, AIUDF are some of the other parties that are expected to participate in Friday’s meeting.
