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‘From 24 in Patna to 26 parties in Opposition's Bengaluru meet… PM Modi baffled’: Congress
Bengaluru Opposition Meet: Jairam Ramesh rejected media reports that some senior leaders are not attending the meeting on Monday, but will attend it on Tuesday.
The Congress said as many as 26 political parties from across the country will participate in the Opposition's two-day mega meeting in Bengaluru beginning on Monday to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Addressing a press conference in the Karnataka capital, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh rejected a few media reports that some senior leaders are not attending the meeting on Monday, but will attend it on Tuesday.
The first mega Opposition meet was convened in Patna on June 23 by Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar.
"On June 23, we had a successful and fruitful meeting of opposition parties in Patna. This is a continuation of that meeting. Tomorrow, the meeting will start at 11am. 26 political parties from all over India are participating in this meeting," said Congress general secretary KC Venugopal at the press briefing.
"I completely refute the reports that some senior leaders are not attending the meeting today, but will attend it tomorrow. The meeting will be held tomorrow," said Ramesh amid reports that Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar will attend the Bengaluru Opposition meeting on July 18.
Claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP are baffled over the Opposition huddle, Ramesh said, “After the Patna meeting, where 24 parties attended, the PM suddenly thought of the NDA. Attempts are being made to breathe new life into the NDA. Suddenly, it was reported that the NDA meeting has been called for tomorrow. This is a result of the meeting in Patna.”
The BJP-led NDA has announced a big huddle in New Delhi on July 18, where nearly 30 parties are expected to join.
‘BJP wants to silence the Opposition voice’
Venugopal alleged that the BJP wants to silence the Opposition voice and they are misusing the agencies like ED and CBI to suppress the voice of the Opposition. “The disqualification of Rahul Gandhi (from the Parliament) is the biggest example of that,” said the Congress general secretary.
When asked about the agenda for the Opposition meeting in Bengaluru and if UPA will get a new name, Venugopal said, “We will take all decisions. I can't tell you now what are the issues that are going to be discussed. The Congress is not deciding this alone. All the opposition parties will sit together and decide unitedly.”
Most Opposition parties join the meeting: Shivakumar
Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar, who was also present at the press conference, said all the opposition parties of the country, except for a few, have joined together "for a good beginning". "This is not the meeting of an individual political party, it is shaping this country for the future of 140 crore people who are suffering on various issues...We feel that with this understanding and unity, we will take it forward and the results will come out - as Karnataka gave us a mandate, the entire country will give us a mandate in 2024. We will take it forward…," Shivakumar said.
Shivakumar has been deputed as in-charge to monitor all the preparations for the meeting.
