Ministers and senior politicians at the dias during the INDIA meet press conference at Grand Hyatt in Mumbai on September 1, 2023.
(Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)INDIA alliance meeting highlights, September 13: “The Coordination Committee has decided to start the process for determining seat-sharing. The member parties will hold talks to decide at the earliest,” announced Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal after the coordination and election strategy committee of the INDIA alliance met for the first time today at Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar’s residence in New Delhi. A joint statement undersigned by twelve opposition leaders also indicated that the bloc has decided to take up the issue of caste census.
The alliance further decided that member parties will hold joint public meetings across the country. “The first public meeting of the alliance will be held in Bhopal in the first week of October,” the joint statement read. Earlier, slamming the Opposition meet, the BJP branded the talks as a get together of “Anti-Hindu Coordination Committee”, keeping the heat on the opposition over the Sanatan Dharma remark row, reported PTI.
TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, who was called by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning today, skipped the meeting on Wednesday. Others who were not present included Hemant Soren and Lalan Singh of JD(U). The meeting at Pawar’s residence was attended by K C Venugopal (Congress), T R Baalu (DMK), Sanjay Raut (Shiv Sena – UBT), Tejashwi Yadav (RJD), Raghav Chaddha (AAP), Javed Ali Khan (SP), Sanjay Jha (JD-U), D Raja (CPI), Omar Abdullah (NC ), and Mehbooba Mufti (PDP).
"BJP wants to stop TMC from playing its role in INDIA bloc," claimed Abhishek Banerjee after questioning by ED on Wednesday. (PTI)
"All (INDIA) alliance parties will participate in the public meeting and raise issues of price rise, unemployment and corruption. There was also consensus over caste census. We have also authorised our media committee to release the list of TV anchors on whose shows leaders of our alliance parties won't participate," AAP leader AAP leader said after INDIA bloc's first coordination committee meeting in Delhi.
After INDIA alliance Coordination Committee meeting, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said, "The issues of rising prices, unemployment and corruption of BJP government in Bhopal will be highlighted"
After the meeting, CPI leader D Raja said, "This was the first meeting of coordination committee an we discussed several issues...The member parties will sort negotiation of seat sharing at the state level for the forthcoming elections."
“The Coordination Committee has decided to start the process for determining seat-sharing. The member parties will hold talks to decide at the earliest,” announced Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal after the coordination and election strategy committee of the INDIA alliance met for the first time today at Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar’s residence in New Delhi.
The bloc also decided that member parties will hold joint public meetings in parts of the country. “The first public meeting of the alliance will be held in Bhopal in the first week of October,” a joint statement read after the meeting.
The statement added that the meeting will be on the "issues of rising prices, unemployment and corruption of BJP government". "The parties present in the meeting agreed to take up the issue of Caste Census," it said further.
The Opposition bloc's meeting concluded on Wednesday evening.
TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, who was called by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning today, skipped the meeting. Others who were not present included Hemant Soren and Lalan Singh of JD(U).
The meeting at Pawar’s residence is being attended by K C Venugopal (Congress), T R Baalu (DMK), Sanjay Raut (Shiv Sena – UBT), Tejashwi Yadav (RJD), Raghav Chaddha (AAP), Javed Ali Khan (SP), Sanjay Jha (JD-U), D Raja (CPI), Omar Abdullah (NC ), and Mehbooba Mufti (PDP).
On INDIA bloc's coordination committee meeting, Jharkhand Health Minister Banna Gupta said, "Everyone will work on one platform and against the injustice done against the people of the country. There is no question on seat sharing now... When leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar have united a bright future of democracy will emerge." (ANI)
INDIA alliance coordination committee meeting begins in New Delhi.
“No one is anti-Hindu in this country and those who proclaim to be ‘Hindutvavadi ’ in politics right now, they are not ‘Hindutvavadi’. This country is a country where every religion is respected,” Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said, hitting back on BJP leader Sambit Patra 'Anti-Hindu Coordination Committee' remarks.
The BJP on Wednesday slammed the INDIA bloc meeting as a get together of "Anti-Hindu Coordination Committee" as it kept the heat on the opposition over the Sanatan Dharma issue following DMK leaders' strident criticism of the ancient faith.
BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra also launched a sharp attack on Congress leader Sonia Gandhi over the issue, alleging that she has penned "a book: Murder of Hinduism, She Wrote" on the lines of the famous suspense book "Murder, She Wrote".
He told a press conference that noncooperation among INDIA group members is visible, making light of the agenda of the meeting that opposition parties will discuss seat-sharing arrangements.
"They will discuss how to finish off the Hindu religion," Patra alleged.
That is why Uddhav Thackeray claimed that Godhra-like incident can happen again while Rahul Gandhi had in the past cited Islamic terror group Muslim Brotherhood to attack Hindutva, he said. Citing Sonia Gandhi's Christian name, Patra alleged that she has been behind the conspiracy to target Hinduism. (PTI)
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said, "The agenda will be known during the meeting...I hope seat sharing, which formula is to be used and how new members can be brought to the alliance will be discussed."
On TMC MP and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee not attending the meeting due to ED summons, he added, "Such summons are given especially to the leaders in opposition.. I hope he can attend the next meeting."
Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha said, 'If the leaders and the people want the INDIA alliance to be successful, then three things will have to be sacrificed - 'mannbhed', 'matbhed' and 'mahatvakanksha'.' He added, 'the Coordination Committee of the INDIA alliance will make decisions related to seat sharing... Every state has its own political complexion and electoral colour and things will be decided according to that.'
"Abhishek Banerjee is not attending this meeting because the ED and the BJP don't want him to," said Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut.
After BJP's Sushil Modi said everyone in INDIA bloc wishes to be the next PM, Delhi Minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj said, "Ambition is good... If that ambition has been killed, it means there is a dictatorship." "All political parties, leaders and their workers do have ambitions...PM Modi became the Prime Minister after suppressing the ambitions of several leaders in BJP. Even today, several have that ambition...Ambition should be there. If that ambition has been killed, it means there is a dictatorship...Ambition is good," Bharadwaj said.
Rajya Sabha MP and BJP leader Sushil Modi said the senior leaders in the INDIA bloc are not ready to accept each other and everybody is eyeing the PM's post. "Nitish Kumar and Mamata Banerjee's names are floating (for PM's post)...Nitish Kumar is denying but he is desperate to be the PM even for a day... They are not ready to accept each other whether it is Arvind Kejriwal or Mamata Banerjee, everybody wishes to be the PM..."
CPI leader D Raja said time has come for the INDIA alliance to go to the people and mobilise them, "We will review the decisions or proposals discussed earlier. In the Mumbai meeting, we discussed issues adequately. Now the time has come we should go to the people, mobilise them. For this, we should organise public rallies, public meetings on specific issues in different parts of the country...Already there are formal and informal talks on seat sharing...This is the first meeting, we will discuss issues."