INDIA Bloc Will Take Appropriate Steps At Appropriate Time, Says Kharge After Bloc’s Meeting

New Delhi: Just like the top leaders of NDA parties met on Wednesday and agreed on staking claim for the next government under Narendra Modi, the opposition INDIA bloc partners got into a huddle a little later on Wednesday evening.

And at the end of two hours of deliberation, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge reiterated that the Lok Sabha election mandate reflected people’s desire not to be ruled by the BJP government.

But the alliance partners have decided to be in opposition as the numbers, though encouraging, did not favour them to try forming the government.

“We thank the constituents of INDIA bloc and the people of India for the overwhelming support received by our alliance. The people’s mandate has given a befitting reply to BJP’s politics of hate, corruption and deprivation. This a mandate in defence of the constitution of India, and against price rise, unemployment and crony capitalism and also to save democracy,” Kharge told newspersons outside his residence after the meeting.

“INDIA bloc will continue to fight against the fascist rule of the BJP, led by Modi. We will take appropriate steps at appropriate times to realise people’s desires not to be ruled by the BJP government and this is our decision… We will keep up the promises made to people,” Kharge said.

Kharge apart, those present at the meeting included Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, KC Venugopal, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule, MK Stalin, Akhilesh Yadav, Ramgopal Yadav, Arvind Sawant and Abhishek Banerjee.

The INDIA group bagged 234 seats, with the top contributions coming from Congress (99), Samajwadi Party (37) and Trinamool Congress (29).

The BJP finished with 240 to be 32 short of the majority mark of 272, but the NDA group won 293 seats in all to be in a position to form the government.