The second meeting of the Opposition parties will be conducted on July 17-18 in Karnataka’s Bengaluru. Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi will mark her presence for the dinner that Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will be hosting for the Opposition leaders at Bengaluru on July 17.The parties are likely to discuss a name for the united Opposition front, and a convener, along with preparing a common agenda, fine-tuning state-level tie-ups, and deciding a schedule for joint opposition rallies. Leaders of 24 parties, including AAP, which has a running conflict with the Congress, have also been invited for the meeting. In addition to the 16 others which were called to the earlier Patna meeting, the total include sub-regional outfits like the MDMK, KDMK, VCK, RSP, Forward Bloc, IUML, Kerala Congress (Joseph) and Kerala Congress (Mani). RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary, who did not make it to Patna, has confirmed his attendance for the Bengaluru meet. The presence of Sonia Gandhi, who headed the last big initiative that knocked from the podium the Vajpayee-led BJP, lends gravitas to the gathering, while handing Congress a profile that most others lack. Key opposition leaders coming to Bengaluru were part of UPA that formed the government in 2004 and have worked with Sonia Gandhi before. While the Patna meeting saw Nitish’s effort of getting together Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress and the Congress on one table pay off, and there is hope that this time he could get the Aam Aadmi Party to turn up in Bengaluru despite its scrap with the Congress. The Bengaluru meet, sources indicated, is likely to focus on possible Opposition-ruled States where ‘Operation Lotus’ could be executed by the BJP.
AKHILESH COMES OUT IN SUPPORT OF STRUGGLING BOATMEN OF VARANASI
Samajwadi Party’s national president Akhilesh Yadav has been cautiously assessing his every political step and focusing on Nishad, Dalits, Lodhi and Maurya votes. Now Akhilesh has come out in support of the boatmen in Varanasi and said that the BJP is taking away business from the poor people. While Varanasi is flooded with pilgrims in the holy month of Sawan, the boatmen at river Ganga had gone on strike, opposing the plying of water taxis in Ganga. But following several rounds of discussions with the local authorities, the boatmen called finally off their strike. It was decided and agreed during the meeting that the boatmen would form their own 11-member team, which would ensure a permanent solution to the problem within a month. The cruise service was launched two years back by the Prime Minister to carry pilgrims for Ganga Aarti and to various Ghats. It may be mentioned that the Varanasi Municipal Corporation has decided to launch water taxi service in river Ganga. Meanwhile, SP has geared up in the preparation for Mission 80 in Uttar Pradesh for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The party is emphasizing more on Azamgarh, Aligarh, Unnao, Barabanki, Etawah, Hamirpur, Bulandshahr, Rampur and Kushinagar to prepare the ground to win seats.
TELANGANA CM KCR AIRS OPPOSITION TO UNIFORM CIVIL CODE, CALLS IT DIVISIVE
Ahead of assembly elections in Telangana, Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) declared that it has decided to oppose strongly the uniform civil code, if the bill is introduced in Parliament. BRS president and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said that the move to introduce uniform civil code forms part of the divisive politics of the Central government, which is fuelling barriers between people. The BRS will strongly oppose any attempt aimed at disturbing the peaceful coexistence among the people and the fraternity of the country, which has been the role model for others in following the concept of unity in diversity for which India is known. The Chief Minister clarified his stance on the ruling party’s stand on the issue, when a delegation of Muslim scholars and representatives of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board led by MP and Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen president Asaduddin Owaisi called on him. The Telangana CM said the BRS would fight the UCC Bill by bringing and uniting like-minded political parties, on the issue. He also directed BRS parliamentary leaders K. Keshava Rao and Nama Nageshwar Rao to formalize an action plan for the upcoming session.
POST-NCP SPLIT, CONGRESS SEESITS CHANCE TO WIN BACK MAHARASHTRIANS
In the wake of the NCP split, the Congress held a marathon meeting in Delhi to discuss the party’s future course of action in Maharashtra and the strategy for the 2024 parliamentary elections commencing with Maharashtra. While Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge emphasized the importance of unity, on the other hand, Rahul Gandhi recalled how his experience during the Bharat Jodo Yatra convinced him about the Congress strength and power in Maharashtra. KC Venugopal asserted that the Congress will fight the elections in alliance with Maha Vikas Aghadi and said the seat-sharing agreement will be decided and worked out well after meeting and discussing with the alliance partners. It was decided at the four-hour-long meeting that all senior leaders would take responsibility of parliamentary constituencies in their areas. Every seat will be looked and taken care by one senior leader. Padyatras will be taken out in each district in September, while a combined bus yatra will be taken out with all senior leaders in December. According to sources, the party is also likely to finalise the decision regarding its candidate for the Leader of Opposition’s post, which stands vacant following the rebellion by NCP leader Ajit Pawar. The grand old party is looking to strengthen its base by utilising the void created by the NCP crisis as it senses an opportunity that could help it in winning back its traditional vote bank.
CHHATTISGARH CONGRESS IN PROBLEM AS DEO SAYS NO TO MANIFESTO PANEL
With Congress’s move to appoint TS Singh Deo as the deputy chief minister of Chhattisgarh, the central leadership affirms that everything is settled. However, it seems that the conflict is still continuing, as Deo has said he would not want to be part of the November-December 2023 state Assembly polls manifesto panel. It must be recalled that Deo had drafted and headed the Congress poll manifesto panel in 2018, the time when the party swept the Assembly polls, dislodging the BJP in a comprehensive manner. The state Congress has, however, been a divided house over TS Singh Deo’s affirmation that he and Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel had agreed upon rotating power, that is, chief ministerial chair in 2018, a claim that is denied and contested by incumbent Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. Now all eyes are focused Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, who need a candidate for the huge responsibility. The buzz is that Mohammad Akbar is the front-runner for the post of chairman of the Congress Manifesto Committee. (IPA Service)