The Opposition’s Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance or I.N.D.I.A. is likely to announce a coordination committee of 11 members who would be from principal Opposition parties and are set to unveil a logo for the bloc as 28 non-BJP parties will hold a formal meeting at Mumbai’s Grand Hyatt Hotel on Friday.
On Thursday, during their informal meeting, the Opposition parties decided to get into poll mode and expedite their plans to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Some of the top leaders also stressed on the urgency to finalise seat sharing and come out with a joint agenda in a few weeks’ time.
Top points on I.N.D.I.A. meeting in Mumbai on Friday:
1. The I.N.D.I.A. block is likely to unveil its logo around 10.30am on Friday, even though reports indicated that there were no discussions on it on Thursday.
2. On Thursday, the opposition leaders discussed the agenda of Friday’s meeting which would begin at 11am, after which they would issue a joint statement and address a press conference jointly.
3. Some reports claimed that the parties might decide on a team of spokespersons who would speak on behalf of the alliance, as leaders of various parties have their own respective spokespersons.
4. At Thursday’s informal meeting, it was also decided that a coordination committee will be formed after discussions, along with at least four sub-groups which include one to plan the joint programme of the alliance, another on preparing the action plan and managing social media, and one on research and data analysis to take on the ruling National Democratic Alliance or NDA, news agency PTI reported. Besides, a sub-committees would also be set up for chalking out joint campaigns and rallies.
5. On Friday, there could also be a discussion on having a convener for the opposition alliance.
6. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee reportedly told the opposition gathering that the alliance must come out with its manifesto as early as October 2, while her Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal called for finalising seat sharing among parties for the Lok Sabha elections by the end of next month.
7. According to several opposition leaders, finalisation the poll plans for 2024 is necessary considering that there could be early elections, while stressing that there was no time left with them and mere meetings would not help.
8. While Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav is also learnt to have called for finalising seat sharing between parties in states early, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge reportedly told the meeting to prepare a common national agenda in bullet points.
9. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar said the opposition should be ready for all contingency plans to take on the NDA’s surprise element strategy and gimmicks, PTI reported. The government has convened a special session of Parliament for five days between September 18 and 22.
10. Kharge, former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray, Trinamool Congress chief Banerjee, AAP convener Kejriwal, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin, National Conference’s Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, CPI(M)’s Sitaram Yechury, CPI’s D Raja, CPI (ML) Dipankar Bhattacharya, Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and SP president Akhilesh Yadav, RLD’s Jayant Chaudhary among others, participated in the informal talks.
Source : Hindustan Times
