INDIA bloc to hold key meet today after suspension of 78 MPs; 10 points

INDIA bloc meet: A day ahead of the Opposition meet, 78 Members of Parliament (MPs) belonging to Opposition parties were suspended from both houses

The INDIA bloc will convene its scheduled key meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday to discuss seat sharing, a joint campaign blueprint, and redrawing the joint strategy to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. 

This comes a day after 78 members of Parliament (MPs) from Opposition parties across the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were suspended till at least the end of the winter session.

With last week's suspension, there are now 92 Opposition MPs suspended till the end of the Parliament. Of these MPs, 14 will have to appear before the privileges committee, which may recommend a longer suspension.

 

On Monday, a day before the Opposition alliance meeting, which will be held at the Ashoka Hotel, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress president Mamata Banerjee stated that the INDIA bloc's prime ministerial candidate would be decided after the 2024 general elections. She also expressed confidence that the alliance will resolve all concerns, including seat-sharing, in order to defeat the BJP.

Here's a look at the top points on Opposition's INDIA bloc meeting today.

1. This will be the fourth meeting of the INDIA bloc. On June 23, Patna hosted the first gathering. The second conference was held in Bengaluru on July 17-18, and the third in Mumbai between August 31 and September 1, where the 27 Opposition parties adopted resolutions to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha election unitedly.

2. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren will skip today's INDIA bloc meeting in Delhi due to his busy schedule. He will be speaking at an event in Gumla.

Hemant Soren's party, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), will send three representatives to the meeting. Rajya Sabha MP Mahua Maji, Lok Sabha MP Vijay Hansada and party general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya have been nominated to participate in the meeting.

3. INDIA bloc meeting was previously postponed to December 17 after top leaders in the alliance, including Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav decided to skip the meeting, which was first scheduled for December 6.

The Congress called the meeting on December 6 on the day the election results of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Rajasthan were announced. While the grand old party was defeated in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan, it triumphed in Telangana, ousting the K Chandrashekar Rao-led Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).

4. Several Opposition leaders, including Nitish Kumar, Uddhav Thackeray, Tejashwi Yadav, M K Stalin have already arrived in the national capital.

5. On Monday, Mamata Banerjee met with Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal and discussed the political situation in the country. Following the meeting, the TMC chief stated that she was ready to campaign for alliance partners across the country.

6. Bihar deputy chief minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said the committees that were formed earlier have been working behind the scenes, and preparations for the polls are being done. He added everyone in the Opposition ranks would play their part and that regional parties were very strong.

"Wherever there are regional parties, the BJP is nowhere to be seen. Most of the regional parties are with INDIA bloc," the RJD leader said.

7. The key challenge before the leaders of several Opposition parties, who have joined forces to fight the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, is also to come up with an alternative common programme as a counter to the ruling dispensation.

The immediate challenge for the INDIA bloc is to reach an agreement on a convener, a spokesperson, and a common secretariat, which is a difficult issue due to differences amongst its constituents.

8. The position of the Congress, which was nearly wiped out in the Hindi heartland, has also weakened within the alliance. Equations within the INDIA bloc are set to change, as other Opposition parties would challenge its position as the fulcrum of the alliance.

9. The BJP's recent victories in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh have increased pressure on Opposition parties to present a united front. 

A senior Congress leader told news agency PTI that the parties intend to use the unity theme 'Main Nahin, Hum' (We, Not Me) at the meeting as a counter to PM Modi and the BJP.

10. Undeterred by the recent defeats, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has stated that the party will move forward to take on the BJP with a positive agenda and will highlight people's issues.

(With agency input)