After uniting the opposition in Parliament, the Congress is busy mobilizing the strength of the opposition outside the Parliament as well. Congress President Sonia Gandhi has invited strong leaders and Chief Ministers who match the ideology of UPA for dinner. According to the reports, Mamata Banerjee, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin, NCP President Sharad Pawar, Maharashtra CM Uddhav and Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren will be invited.
However, no date has been finalized by the Gandhi yet. Reports said the date and time of the meeting will depend on the availability of leaders.
This dinner diplomacy of Sonia Gandhi was proposed on August 9, when the leader of the rebel faction of Congress (G-23) Kapil Sibal, in a show of strength has invited the leaders of the opposition for dinner.
Over 15 opposition parties put up a united front in parliament in the monsoon session, which barely functioned because of disruptions and protests over issues like the Pegasus snooping scandal, the farmers’ agitation over Centre’s three farm laws and the rising fuel prices.
However, all Opposition leaders are set to meet on Thursday at the Parliament chamber of Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, and then stage a symbolic protest in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the premises of Parliament House. They also plan to march to Vijay Chowk.
The last opposition meeting was held recently at the home of senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal, one of the dissident rooting for organisational changes and effective leadership.
Sibal had invited NCP chief Sharad Pawar, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, National Conference’s Omar Abdullah, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, Trinamool Congress’s Derek O’Brien and Kalyan Banerjee, CPM’s Sitaram Yechury, CPI’s D Raja, Sanjay Singh from Aam Aadmi Part, RLD’s Jayant Chaudhary, Sanjay Raut of Shiv Sena, BJD’s Pinaki Misra, Akali Dal’s Naresh Gujral and representatives of the TDP and the YSRCP.
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Sibal started off the attack against the Modi government, explaining how every institution has been destroyed during its tenure. He also underscored the need for all opposition parties to work with a clear focus.
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah questioned what steps were being taken to strengthen the core of Congress. Questions were raised on the party’s leadwership after its abysmal performance in Bihar elections.