NEW DELHI: A day after the rebellion of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar in Maharashtra, the Congress on Monday announced that the next joint meeting of the Opposition meeting will be held in Bengaluru on July 17 and 18. Earlier, the meeting was scheduled for July 13 and 14.
Announcing the new dates, Congress general secretary (organisation) K.C Venugopal tweeted, “After a hugely successful all-Opposition meeting in Patna, we will be holding the next meeting in Bengaluru on 17 and 18 July 2023”.
“We are steadfast in our unwavering resolve to defeat the fascist and undemocratic forces and present a bold vision to take the country forward,” he added. Earlier, Venugopal asserted that Ajit Pawar’s rebellion is an internal issue of NCP’ and it will not impact larger opposition unity.
The MVA alliance will fight the BJP with renewed vigor, he said. He also said that the PM’s allegations against the NCP leaders of corruption led to the “drama” in Maharashtra “It is a clear sponsored game of ED and their agencies, “ said Venugopal adding that Sharad Pawar is the tallest leader of the party and he will be able to manage the situation.
With Ajit Pawar claiming the support of more than 40 MLAs, a weakened NCP and Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance in Maharashtra cast shadows over a formidable alliance of the opposition at the national level too. With 48 seats, Maharashtra is the second-largest state in the Lok Sabha.
Wading into the troubled water, the BJP also predicted a possible split in Janata Dal (United) after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar held meetings with MPs on Sunday. However, AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh rubbished such claims. “If anything the Mumbai operations have strengthened Opposition resolve,” said Ramesh.