NEW DELHI: The Opposition INDIA coalition of parties have finally decided to meet here in mid-December before the Winter session gets over to move forward on the seat-sharing talks, create a joint narrative and finalise a manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha pollsto take on the ruling BJP.
According to TMC sources, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee will be attending the INDIA party meeting expected around December 15 or 16.
Amid signs of discord among the INDIA coalition partners since the Congress’ defeat in the three Hindi heartland statescoordination among the party leaders seems to continue. Most of the party leaders have been invited to the swearing in of Revanth Reddy as chief minister of Telengana, slated for Thursday.
In fact, TMC sources said, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had called West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee to invite her for the function. But since she is travelling in north Bengal, the TMC chief has deputed party’s Rajya Sabha leader Derek O’Brien to represent her in Hyderabad on Thursday.
In fact, while some of the regional parties disapproved of the decision to hold a joint meeting on December 6 at a quick notice which some leaders could not have attended, Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandopadhyay said on Wednesday that floor leaders of the INDIA parties have been meeting every morning at 10.30 am before the House proceedings for the Winter Session begins, to coordinate floor strategy on a day to day basis since December 4.
On Wednesday, Lok Sabha witnessed a joint walkout by the Opposition parties, protesting on the issue of the treasury benches saying “Nehruvian blunder” and referring to the country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, during a debate on Jammu and Kashmir.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge hosted a dinner for the opposition party floor leaders at his residence, as a mark of bonhomie on Wednesday evening. Since a meeting had been called on December 6, earlier, Kharge’s dinner meet proved to be a prelude to the joint meeting of leaders coming up in two weeks.
TMC leaders said, the momentum built by the INDIA bloc over three successful meetings has dwindled in the last few months due to inactivity, with Congress preoccupied with elections in three states. Bandopadhyay expressed concern about the negative impact of INDIA alliance partners contesting against each other in Hindi heartland states – Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh – all of which Congress lost to BJP. “The momentum created after three successful meets of the INDIA bloc has waned due to no activity in the last three months. The partners fighting against each other in these three Hindi heartland states have sent out a wrong message,” he said.
He outlined three essential steps for success, “prioritizing and sealing seat-sharing deals promptly, creating a collective narrative with a unified voice, and finalizing the manifesto,” while warning that delays in addressing these issues would provide an advantage to the saffron camp.
TMC MP Saugata Roy echoed these sentiments, emphasising the necessity of a one-on-one fight against the BJP through effective seat sharing. “If we are unable to ensure a one-on-one contest, then BJP will gain. Regarding seat sharing, the party that is strong in a respective region should get priority,” he said.
According to TMC sources, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee will be attending the INDIA party meeting expected around December 15 or 16.
Amid signs of discord among the INDIA coalition partners since the Congress’ defeat in the three Hindi heartland statescoordination among the party leaders seems to continue. Most of the party leaders have been invited to the swearing in of Revanth Reddy as chief minister of Telengana, slated for Thursday.
In fact, TMC sources said, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had called West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee to invite her for the function. But since she is travelling in north Bengal, the TMC chief has deputed party’s Rajya Sabha leader Derek O’Brien to represent her in Hyderabad on Thursday.
In fact, while some of the regional parties disapproved of the decision to hold a joint meeting on December 6 at a quick notice which some leaders could not have attended, Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandopadhyay said on Wednesday that floor leaders of the INDIA parties have been meeting every morning at 10.30 am before the House proceedings for the Winter Session begins, to coordinate floor strategy on a day to day basis since December 4.
On Wednesday, Lok Sabha witnessed a joint walkout by the Opposition parties, protesting on the issue of the treasury benches saying “Nehruvian blunder” and referring to the country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, during a debate on Jammu and Kashmir.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge hosted a dinner for the opposition party floor leaders at his residence, as a mark of bonhomie on Wednesday evening. Since a meeting had been called on December 6, earlier, Kharge’s dinner meet proved to be a prelude to the joint meeting of leaders coming up in two weeks.
TMC leaders said, the momentum built by the INDIA bloc over three successful meetings has dwindled in the last few months due to inactivity, with Congress preoccupied with elections in three states. Bandopadhyay expressed concern about the negative impact of INDIA alliance partners contesting against each other in Hindi heartland states – Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh – all of which Congress lost to BJP. “The momentum created after three successful meets of the INDIA bloc has waned due to no activity in the last three months. The partners fighting against each other in these three Hindi heartland states have sent out a wrong message,” he said.
He outlined three essential steps for success, “prioritizing and sealing seat-sharing deals promptly, creating a collective narrative with a unified voice, and finalizing the manifesto,” while warning that delays in addressing these issues would provide an advantage to the saffron camp.
TMC MP Saugata Roy echoed these sentiments, emphasising the necessity of a one-on-one fight against the BJP through effective seat sharing. “If we are unable to ensure a one-on-one contest, then BJP will gain. Regarding seat sharing, the party that is strong in a respective region should get priority,” he said.