Amid concerns in the Opposition camp over the recent split in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge is believed to have invited top Opposition leaders for participation in the next unity meeting scheduled to be held on 17-18 July in Bengaluru.
In a letter addressed to top Opposition leaders, Kharge referred to the 23 June meeting of opposition parties hosted by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna and said “the meeting was a great success as we were able to discuss various important issues that threaten our democratic polity and came to a unanimous agreement on unitedly fighting the next General Elections.” He reminded them that they had all agreed to meet again in July.
“I believe that it is important to continue these discussions and build on the momentum that we have created. We need to work together to find solutions to the challenges that our country is facing,” the letter stated.
The Congress chief said: “In furtherance thereof, I request you to kindly make it convenient to attend the meeting followed by dinner on July 17 at 6.00 pm at Bengaluru. The meeting will continue on July 18 from 11.00 am onwards.Looking forward to meeting you in Bengaluru.”
The meeting in Patna attended by more than 15 parties decided that the Opposition parties will put up a joint fight against the BJP-led NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Leaders. including AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin were among those who attended the meeting.
However, the Opposition unity efforts suffered a major setback soon thereafter when Pawar’s nephew split the NCP in Maharashtra and joined the Eknath Shinde-led government in Maharashtra along with his supporters.