Sonia Attends Oppn Meet In Bengaluru, Kharge Says Cong Not Gunning For PM's Post: Top Points

Several parties, including the MDMK, KDMK, VCK, RSP, Forward Bloc, IUML, Kerala Congress (Joseph), and Kerala Congress (Mani), are among those joining the second opposition meeting.

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Khadge, and DK Shivakumar arrive for the Opposition meeting in Bengaluru.

Source : PTI

The united Opposition of 26 "like-minded" parties has begun its meeting in Bengaluru, with former Congress president Sonia Gandhi in attendance. The grouping is likely to be renamed (as opposed to the United Progressive alliance that was formed in 2004, with Congress in the lead). The Left Front had provided outside support to the UPA back then.

Several parties, including the MDMK, KDMK, VCK, RSP, Forward Bloc, IUML, Kerala Congress (Joseph), and Kerala Congress (Mani), are among those joining the second opposition meeting. The 24 Opposition parties collectively hold around 150 Lok Sabha seats. 

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said at the meeting that the differences between the Opposition parties are not too big. "We are aware that at the state level, there are differences between some of us. These differences are not ideological. These differences are not so big that we cannot put them behind us for the sake of the common man and the middle class, for youth, for the poor, the Dalit, the adivasis, and the minorities, whose rights are being crushed silently behind the scenes."

Here's a look at the top points related to the second mega-meeting of the Opposition:

1. The first meeting of the united Opposition was held on June 23, The major difference between the first and second meetings is the presence of Sonia Gandhi. Her presence is being seen as a move to get the Congress, the largest Opposition party in Lok Sabha, back in the lead on the united Opposition platform. The Congress has, however, said that it is not interested in power or the post of the Prime Minister.

2. The Opposition is likely to sign a joint declaration form a sub-committee to draft a common minimum programme for the functioning of the alliance for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

3. The united Opposition will field one candidate per seat against the BJP. Discussions on a seat-sharing formula are likely to take place at Tuesday's meeting. However, the parties in the previous meeting had decided that the individual seats and the candidates would be discussed at the state level.

4. According to sources, the issues of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and reforms in the Election Commission are also likely to be discussed. The leaders are also discussing the alleged misuse of central investigation agencies. "Every institution is being turned into a weapon against the Opposition. CBI, ED, and Income Tax are routinely used. False criminal cases are filed against our leaders so that they get caught in the legal process. Constitutional authorities are used to suspend our MPs. MLAs are being blackmailed or bribed to move to BJP and topple governments," Kharge said at the meeting.

5. A leader of the united Opposition platform may also be declared at Tuesday's meeting. Media reports, quoting sources, stated that Sonia Gandhi could be declared the president of the Opposition Front. 

'Meeting Of Corrupts': PM Modi's Attack On Opposition

The meeting of the Opposition comes on a day that the BJP-led NDA is also holding deliberations with 37 of its partners in the National Democratic Front. Attacking the Opposition, PM Narendra Modi said: “Ye to kattar bhrashtachari sammelan ho raha hai (it is a gathering of hardcore corrupt people),” PM Modi said, a reference to the Aam Aadmi Party's claim of it being a "kattar imaandaar (extremely honest)" party.

The Prime Minister again attacked the Congress, accusing it of promoting familialism and dynast politics. "Indians never lacked capabilities and capacities, but the corrupt Dynastic Parties always meted out injustice to them and made India bear the consequences. Democracy means 'of the people, by the people, for the people'. But these Parivarvaadi Parties have a mantra of 'of the family, by the family, for the family'; for them, their family is first, and the nation is nothing," PM Modi said.