The meeting of INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) bloc to chalk out Opposition strategy for the 2024 Lok Sabha strategy will be held on December 17. The leaders, however, will continue to meet informally till then.
While RJD president Lalu Prasad, who is a close to the Congress leadership, made the announcement for deferred the meeting, sources said that December 6 will see a gathering of parliamentary leaders of INDIA bloc. Those leaders who are unavailable, can send representatives of the parties, sources added.
The meeting, scheduled to be held at 6pm, will decide the place for the next meet. According to sources, the Congress leaders have been calling the December 6 gathering as “informal meeting”.
Sources in the Aam Aadmi Party said that MP Raghav Chadha would attend the meeting on Arvind Kejriwal’s behalf.
Several leaders, including Mamata Banerjee, MK Stalin, Nitish Kumar and Akhilesh Yadav, expressed their inability to attend the meeting on Wednesday.
The Congress is under fire from its allies for ignoring them during the crucial assembly elections, in which the grand old party was defeated in three Hindi heartland states.
Many leaders have reportedly gone on record to say that the Congress made a mistake by failing to take on board regional parties and trying to fight the BJP on its own.
BJP VS OPPOSITION ON POLL RESULTS
Meanwhile, BJP leaders mocked Opposition leaders after they raised questions on EVMs post poll results in five states.
As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged victorious in three Hindi heartland states — Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh — in the recent round of Assembly polls, several opposition leaders raised questions over electronic voting machines, even as some said they had faith in the EVMs.
Union Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh slammed the opposition and said they blame EVMs whenever they fail to win elections. “There is nothing new. The opposition, whoever it may be, when they win, they are fine with the EVMs, but when they lose, they blame it on the EVMs,” he said.
