The Congress leader also held the central government responsible for “hate crimes against innocent train passengers and school children.”
Sharing the group photograph of opposition leaders took ahead of the meeting, Kharge wrote on X that the citizens of India “shall not be betrayed any more” and “140 core Indians have decided to usher change.”
“We are united for a progressive, welfare-oriented, inclusive India. No matter how many diversions and distractions, the ruling regime throws at the people, the citizens of India shall not be betrayed any more. 140 Cr Indians have decided to usher change. The countdown of this autocratic government’s exit has begun,” the Congress president wrote.
No convenor, INDIA alliance announces 13-member coordination panel
The opposition bloc INDIA, which is holding its third meeting in Mumbai, announced a coordination committee consisting 13 members.
The panel include Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal, NCP Chief Sharad Pawar, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, RJD leader and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, AAP MP Raghav Chadha, Javed Khan from Samajwadi Party, Janata Dal United national president Lalan Singh, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, CPI leader D Raja, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah and Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti.
will not be unveiling the alliances’s logo on Friday. The release of the logo has been postponed to implement new suggestions. However, the meeting is expected make decisions on several key matters, including the formation of a coordination committee and a common agenda to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. However, the logo will not be unveiled today.
Addressing the conclave, Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge hit out at the BJP-led central government accusing them of “playing vendetta politics”. He alleged that the government will increasingly misuse the agencies against Opposition leaders as the INDIA bloc gains ground.
Kharge further said, “every segment of society, including farmers, youth, women, the marginalised, middle class, intellectuals, NGOs, and journalists, have suffered from the BJP’s authoritarian rule”.
The Congress leader also held the central government responsible for “hate crimes against innocent train passengers and school children.”
Sharing the group photograph of opposition leaders took ahead of the meeting, Kharge wrote on X that the citizens of India “shall not be betrayed any more” and “140 core Indians have decided to usher change.”
“We are united for a progressive, welfare-oriented, inclusive India. No matter how many diversions and distractions, the ruling regime throws at the people, the citizens of India shall not be betrayed any more. 140 Cr Indians have decided to usher change. The countdown of this autocratic government’s exit has begun,” the Congress president wrote.
Alliance structuring, campaign stagey among key topics on agenda
The third meeting of the alliance aims to chalk out a campaign strategy and finalise the formal structure of the opposition bloc. The opposition leaders are likely to come out with a joint statement later on Friday.
The formation of the coordination committee is one of the top agendas of the meeting. According to sources, the coordination committee will be formed at two levels: centre and state. Both levels will coordinate with each other to develop important strategies.
The alliance partners feel that the formation of the coordination committee and other groups needs to be done soon, given the speculation of an early announcement of the parliamentary elections.
Different political parties have been asked to nominate their representatives to the committee. The responsibilities of the coordination committee will be shared among all the partners of the INDIA bloc.
The alliance is expected to form at least four sub-groups, each with different responsibilities. One group will be in charge of the joint agenda of the alliance, another on preparing the action plan and handling social media, and one on research and data analysis. Another sub-committee would also be set up for chalking out joint campaign and rallies.
To formulate a common agenda, the Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge has asked the leaders to prepare bullet points.
A new secretariat will also be announced during the meeting to facilitate smooth coordination between the constituents of the INDIA bloc. The secretariat is likely to be set up in the national capital.
On Thursday, seat-sharing for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections took centre stage at the meeting. The alliance announced that a decision on seat-sharing would be taken on September 30.
The leaders had also agreed to highlight issues under the BJP-led government, including the rise in prices, unemployment, and farmers’ grievances, to corner the saffron party in the elections.