Mumbai: Meeting of I-N-D-I-A alliance begins

Congress president Kharge along with Rahul Gandhi in Mumbai (Pic/Pradeep Dhivar)

An informal meeting of the opposition bloc I-N-D-I-A began in Mumbai on Thursday. On September 1, Firday, the third formal meeting of the opposition bloc I-N-D-I-A alliance will be held, where leaders of all 28 political parties will finalise logo, coordination committee, and action plan for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Several senior leaders including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee Tejashwi Yadav and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad arrived in Mumbai for the meeting.

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The conclave will discuss the alliance strategies for the 2024 Lok Sabha election and the seat sharing in the states.

I-N-D-I-A or "I-N-D-I-An National Developmental Inclusive Alliance" is a group of opposition parties that came together to take on the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which is led by BJP.

The first meeting of the joint opposition convened in Patna on June 23 and the second meeting was held in Bengaluru on July 17-18.

Meanwhile, before the informal meeting, Rahul Gandhi held a press conference to raise the Adani issue in Grand Hyatt hotel. Gandhi was also seen interacting with Aditya Thackeray, Sanjay Raut, Supriya Sule and Jayant Patil.

Several I-N-D-I-A bloc leaders reached the venue early and expressed their views on the parties coming together to take on the NDA in 2024.

Former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad Yadav stated that the need of the hour is to strengthen the unity and sovereignty of the country, and to protect the Constitution and democracy. "The Modi government has failed to address the issues of poverty, unemployment and welfare of farmers. At the I-N-D-I-A alliance meet, we will work on evolving a common programme. We have to contest elections one-on-one (put up common candidates against the BJP)," the RJD leader said.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Raghav Chadha claimed that the BJP fears the I-N-D-I-A alliance. "They have hatred for the word I-N-D-I-A and are even linking the name to a terror outfit. It is not just hatred but also fear about (what) if the alliance succeeds," he said.

(with inputs from PTI)