Opposition meet highlights: Key dinner meeting concludes in Bengaluru

"Here in Bengal, they (Congress, CPI(M) and TMC) are killing each other and in Bengaluru, they are uniting to oust PM Modi (from power). Why this drama?" says BJP leader Rahul Sinha on mega opposition meeting in Bengaluru.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and party leader-Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav leave from Patna. They will participate in the joint Opposition meeting in Bengaluru.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and party leader Rahul Gandhi arrive in Bengaluru for the joint opposition meeting which will have the participation of 26 like-minded parties.

Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA)'s scheduled meeting in Delhi on July 18, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday said that the saffron party is "baffled" by what the opposition is doing and hence gathering "factions of parties."

"If he (PM Modi) is stronger than the entire Opposition and he alone is enough for them, why is he calling together the 30 parties? Disclose the names of these parties. Are they even registered with the Election Commission? People with us have always been with us...They are baffled by what we are doing, so they are gathering factions of parties to show their strength," Kharge said.

JDU National President Rajeev Ranjan (Lalan) Singh and minister-party leader Sanjay Kumar Jha leave from Patna, Bihar.

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti arrives in Bengaluru for the joint Opposition meeting.

National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah leaves from Delhi for the joint Opposition meeting in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

Chief Minister MK Stalin on Monday said that the Opposition parties have united to "defeat" the the ruling BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections while terming the the Enforcement Directorate raids at the residence of State minister K Ponmudi as "diversionary tactics" coming ahead of the second unity Opposition meeting.

Speaking to reporters at the Chennai airport before flying to Bengaluru to attend the Opposition meet, CM Stalin said," "All Opposition parties have united to defeat the BJP-led Central government. We took the decision in Bihar to convene the second meeting in Karnataka today and tomorrow".

Aam Admi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chaddha on Monday said that the coming together of like-minded opposition parties is giving "sleepless nights" to the Bharatiya Janata Party. He also claimed that the saffron party will not return to power at the Centre in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, ANI reported.

Speaking to ANI in Delhi, the AAP leader said, "The alliance of like minded opposition parties is giving sleepless nights to the ruling BJP. The coming together of leaders of non-BJP parties have made them to live in fear", adding, "The agenda of the meeting will be discussed during the meeting in Bengaluru".

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and party MP TR Baalu on Monday reached Bengaluru to attend the two-day joint Opposition meeting, reported PTI.

CM Stalin and MP Baalu were recieved by Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar at the Bengaluru airport.

Shivakumar has been deputed to monitor all the preparation for the meeting.

A total of 26 parties will attend the meeting that will start at 11 AM on Tuesday. The list of parties includes: Congress, DMK, Trinamool Congress, Janata Dal (United), RJD, NCP, Shiv Sena (UBT), CPIM, CPI, Samajwadi Party, National Conference, PDP, CPI(ML), JMM, AAP, Rashtriya Lok Dal, MDMK, VCK, RSP, KDMK, Forward Bloc, IUML, Kerala Congress (J), Kerala Congress (Mani), Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) and MMK.

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee left for Bengaluru on Monday to attend the second meeting of the non-BJP parties there.

She was accompanied by her nephew and party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.

Twenty-four opposition parties, including the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), have been invited for the two-day meeting.

Former Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha on Monday asserted there was "no alternative" to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and berated the opposition for uniting with the "sole agenda" of dislodging him from power.

Kushwaha, who quit Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) a few months ago to float a new outfit, however, kept his cards close to the chest when asked whether he will be taking part in the NDA meeting scheduled in Delhi on Tuesday.

The Congress on Monday asserted that Opposition unity would be "a game changer" for the Indian political scenario and took a swipe at the BJP, saying those who used to talk of defeating the opposition parties alone are now making attempts to breathe new life into the NDA which had become a "ghost".

Addressing a press conference here on the two-day crucial deliberations of Opposition parties starting this evening, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has suddenly remembered the NDA.

Sitaram Yechury, the general secretary, CPI (M), hailed the second opposition meeting in Bengaluru and said "All political parties have come together to save the democratic fabric of our country...the Opposition unity is already creating a huge impact and we will form the government in 2024'': 

NK Premachandran, Leader of the Revolutionary Socialist Party and Member of Lok Sabha, on Monday, spoke about the significance of Opposition meet in Bengaluru and said “26 parties have come together against the BJP….Our democratic secular fabric is under threat...The agenda is to address all political issues….the BJP doesn't address any public issues but wants to divide the people…that’s why they have come up with UCC.”

RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary, reacting to Bengaluru opposition meeting, said parties will have to overcome differences. “…Governance means to match the ideologies and work together. There will be differences, there will be tension among ourselves but we will find a way out.”

Nobel laureate Amartya Sen welcomed the ongoing discussions between non-BJP parties to form a federal front for next year's general elections and stated that democracy “often demands the sharing of power."

Former Karnataka CM and BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai Monday mocked the key Bengaluru meeting of 26 Opposition parties  and said “…there is no 'Bandhan' in this...their sole aim is to bring down PM Modi, which is impossible...when zero is added to zero, it is nothing.”

West Bengal CM and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee arrives at Kolkata airport to leave for the Bengaluru opposition unity meet.

Among other issues, the Bengaluru two-day meet of 26 political parties starting Monday, could finalise the name of the united Opposition front, aimed at countering the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

On Congress' stand to oppose the Centre's ordinance over control of administrative services in Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal Monday tweeted, “Thank u Kharge ji for standing wid the people of Delhi. This ordinance is anti-India and anti-national and ought to be fought tooth and nail.” Kejriwal was responding to Congress chief Kharge's remarks on party's stand on the issue.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) was carrying out raids on Monday at the premises of Tamil Nadu minister K Ponmudi, chief minister M K Stalin said and added this was part of the tactics of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre to divert attention from the meeting of opposition parties in Bengaluru.

The Congress said the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA meeting to be held in New Delhi on Tuesday was a result of the Opposition's Patna meet. “PM, BJP are baffled…” the party said in a press briefing Monday.