New Delhi: The INDIA alliance has finalised the agenda for its meeting on Wednesday, keeping it in line with the resolution passed earlier by the Congress Working Committee.
The CWC resolution demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and called for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resignation.
The opposition bloc will now plan a countrywide protest campaign. This will include rallies and public meetings against the CEC in different states, along with a fresh impeachment motion against him in Parliament.
Rallies To Begin In Delhi
The united Opposition’s protests will start with a series of rallies. The first is expected to be held at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan, followed by events in other states. Sources said the date of the first rally could be announced during the meeting, as reported by NDTV.
The row intensified after reports that two Election Commissioners had repeatedly disagreed with Kumar over changes to voter lists and the inclusion of new names. Rahul Gandhi alleged that Kumar had helped the BJP “steal votes”.
Who Is Attending, Who Is Not
Congress will be represented by Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. The Trinamool Congress team includes Mamata Banerjee, Abhishek Banerjee, Kalyan Banerjee and Derek O’Brien. Leaders of all Left parties will also attend.
Others present will include JMM’s Hemant Soren, RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, NCP’s Supriya Sule, National Conference’s Omar Abdullah and PDP’s Mehbooba Mufti. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray will join virtually. Representatives from Kerala Congress, VCK, MDMK, and Rajasthan’s RLP and BAP will also participate. Independent Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal has been invited, though Congress’s Tamil Nadu ally TVK will not have a representative.
Akhilesh Yadav, the Samajwadi Party chief, will not be at the meet; Harendra Malik, a senior leader, will attend in his place. According to sources, Kharge and KC Venugopal spoke to Yadav, who said he was tied up with filing nominations for the Rajya Sabha election, due on Wednesday. Although this has been linked to the issue of seat-sharing between the Congress and SP in Uttar Pradesh, Venugopal has dismissed these reports as baseless.
The Aam Aadmi Party is not attending the INDIA alliance meeting, though they have said they will support the Opposition’s move for the impeachment of the Chief Election Commissioner. Congress’s former ally DMK — which left the Opposition bloc after the alliance ended — also said they cannot attend the meeting though they support the issue.
CPM general secretary MA Baby has advocated for expanding the INDIA alliance and has written to all parties proposing the inclusion of anti-BJP parties from various states. No positive response has been received from the Biju Janata Dal, BRS, or YSR Congress, sources said.
The Congress believes that the INDIA meet will be historic, as it will pave the way for a united opposition to take on the government both on the streets and in parliament, sources said.