The development came as top leaders of 26 Opposition parties from across the country met in Bengaluru on Tuesday to discuss a united strategy to take on the ruling NDA alliance at the Centre, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
While speaking on the same, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi chief Thol Thirumavalavan said that the name was proposed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
With the Congress assuring AAP of its support for the Bharatiya Janata Party government’s ordinance nullifying the Supreme Court’s order to give the Delhi government larger control over the bureaucracy in the state, the AAP party decided to attend the meeting.
Bharatiya Janata Party's ally party Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) president and Assam Agriculture Minister Atul Bora on Tuesday said that the opposition will not be able to fight against NDA in the next year's Lok Sabha polls.
The first opposition meeting which was held in Bihar’s Patna on June 23 saw the participation of 16 political parties, while the second meeting, convened in Karnataka’s Bengaluru, concluded with the participation of 26 parties.
The second and concluding day of the opposition unity meeting in Bengaluru was held, with 26 like-minded parties closing ranks with a common aim of taking on the Bharatiya Janata Party in the next year's Lok Sabha polls.
“Opposition parties are meeting in Bengaluru, and Mamata Banerjee is also participating. It is surprising that they are talking about democracy after killing democracy in West Bengal,” said BJP leader Saroj Pandey, as a fact-finding committee of the party reached West Bengal.
Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D Raja, who was part of the opposition meeting held in Karnataka’s Bengaluru on Tuesday said that the country is under “significant threat” since there are many important issues.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday said that the next meeting of the like-minded parties to take forward the agenda of opposition unity against the BJP will be held in Mumbai and an 11-member coordination committee will be formed.