Congress president Sonia Gandhi has called for a virtual meeting of opposition leaders and Chief Ministers on August 20. The invitees include Mamata Banerjee, Uddhav Thackeray, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren. This comes after the Opposition was successful in putting up a united front in the Parliament as a result of which both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha could barely function and was adjourned two days early.
The online interaction will likely set the stage for another lunch or dinner meet the Congress is planning in Delhi. Moreover, this comes at a juncture when questions were raised about the lack of effective leadership in Congress. The Congress’s plan is to take this unity forward, said party leaders, adding that other opposition parties were also being sounded out. Sonia Gandhi’s initiative suggests an effort to ensure the Congress’s pivotal role in opposition unity moves to take on the ruling BJP in the 2024 election. Over 15 opposition parties put up a united front in parliament in the monsoon session, which barely functioned because of disruptions and protests over issues like the Pegasus snooping scandal, the rising fuel prices and the farmers’ agitation over three central laws. A meeting at Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge’s room in parliament saw even Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s Sanjay Singh joining in. During her visit to the national capital recently, Mamata Banerjee met a slew of leaders with TMC projecting her as a potential challenger to PM Modi for the General Election in 2024.
