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Why Uddhav Thackeray won’t be able to attend meeting called by Mamata Banerjee
Mamata Banerjee has written to 22 non-BJP leaders to attend the Delhi meeting ahead of the presidential election.
Uddhav Thackeray won’t be able to attend the meeting in Delhi, which has been called by Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday, because he will be in Ayodhya, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said on Sunday morning. Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress on Saturday announced the meeting will be held in the national capital this week ahead of the July 18 presidential election. Eight chief ministers of non-BJP ruled states have been invited, the party said in a statement.
“Uddhav ji has received an invite to the June 15 meeting in Delhi. As we will be in Ayodhya at that time, a prominent leader of our party will take part in the meeting,” Raut was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
The Maharashtra chief minister's Ayodhya visit has been much talked about for quite some time.
Meanwhile, Banerjee has invited 22 non-BJP leaders for the key Delhi meet, including Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. "The presidential elections are around the corner, presenting the perfect opportunity for all progressive opposition parties to reconvene and deliberate on the future course of Indian politics," she said in the letter sent to the leaders.
“In perusal of the same, I urge you to kindly make it convenient for all of us to meet at the Constitution Club in New Delhi on June 15 at 3 pm,” the letter further read.
In a dig at the BJP, Banerjee - calling the presidential election "monumental" - said that "it gives legislators the opportunity to participate in deciding the head of the state who is the custodian of our democracy. At a time when our democracy is going through troubled times, I believe that a fruitful confluence of opposition voices is the need of the hour; to echo the deprived and unrepresented communities.”
This will be one of the biggest meetings of the opposition leaders in recent months, and is set to take place amid controversy over remarks by former BJP spokespersons Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal.
(With inputs from ANI)
