Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday hits out at Opposition as it sets the stage for its third meeting in Mumbai. Dubbing the INDIA bloc as a “selfish alliance”, BJP leader Sambit Patra alleged it of promoting and protecting the interests of families at the helm of its member parties. “The meeting of 'Ghamandia Gathbandhan' is going to take place in Mumbai today. These parties have done scams and corruption worth Rs 20 lakh crores. It's a selfish alliance...Their agenda is maximum profit from corruption,” Patra said.
“This selfish alliance already has six contenders for the PM post so far. I believe people know that the country has achieved many milestones under PM Modi's leadership, and their trust continues to be with him," said Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.
The Mumbai meeting of the 26-party INDIA bloc will hold discussion on seat sharing, members for the coordination committee, and appoint a convener for the alliance to streamline its working across all states. The discussions and deliberations are expected to set the tone for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections when INDIA hopes to dislodge the BJP from power.
This is the third meeting of the bloc after the first two took place in June and July in Patna and Bengaluru this year.
As the leaders of the Opposition alliance reached Mumbai, Maharashtra’s ruling alliance BJP MLA Nitesh N. Rane dared the Shiv Sena (UBT) to "take Rahul Gandhi to the memorial of Balasaheb Thackeray" , the party’s founder-patriarch, at Shivaji Maharaj Park, according to an IANS report.
"Now, the Shiv Sena (UBT) is running after the same Rahul Gandhi… I challenge Sanjay Raut to take him to the memorial of Balasaheb Thackeray and offer his respects there instead of promoting him," said Nitesh Rane.