NEW DELHI: The opposition parties are expected to meet later this week to firm up a joint strategy to take on the Centre on economic slowdown, farm crisis and loss of jobs. The meeting ahead of the winter session on November 17 is expected to be attended by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, among other opposition leaders. The Congress is also expected to seek support of the other parties for its November 5-15 protests planned across the country.
"There has been informal discussion between opposition parties for the meeting and it is scheduled to take place later this week. The attempt is to build a consensus among major opposition parties on issues like economic slowdown, farm distress and rising unemployment," said a Congress source. Discussions on other issues like continued clampdown in J&K and visit of European MPs to Kashmir, are also expected, sources added.
The Congress president has also called a meeting of AICC general secretaries, state incharges, heads of frontal organisations and departments on November 2 for reviewing the preparations for the agitation programme. The protest is planned in all state capitals and district headquarters and will culminate in a massive program in Delhi in the last week of November. The party will depute 31 senior leaders as observers for the agitation programme.