The Patna meeting of the opposition parties was attended by Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge. This time, Sonia Gandhi is likely to attend.
A total of 24 parties are likely to attend the second meeting of the united opposition in Bengaluru to be held on July 17-18, news agency ANI reported citing sources. On July 17, Sonia Gandhi is likely to invite all the party leaders to dinner. While Indian Union Muslim League is a new entry, the Aam Aadmi Party has also been extended the invitation after the apparent showdown at the first meeting in Patna over the issue of Congress’s support to the ordinance issue. Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi is likely to attend the Bengaluru meeting, the report said. Karnataka deputy chief minister Dk Shivakumar also claimed the same earlier.
The Patna meeting was attended by around 17 parties. This time seven new parties have been sent the invitation, including “Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), Kongu Desa Makkal Katchi (KDMK), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), All India Forward Bloc, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), Kerala Congress (Joseph), and Kerala Congress (Mani).
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KDMK and MDMK were previous allies of the BJP during 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
The June 23 meeting in Patna was attended by Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Mamata Banerjee, Sharad Pawar among other opposition leaders. The Aam Aadmi Party said it will pull out of the opposition unity if the Congress does not support the party on the Delhi Ordinance issue.
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What happened between the 1st and the 2nd meeting of the opposition
A lot happened politically in the month between the first and the second meeting of the opposition. The Nationalist Congress Party split between Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar with both claiming to be the rightful NCP. Sharad Pawar is playing a crucial role in bringing the opposition together. Ajit Pawar camp’s leader Praful Patel who attended the 1st meeting ridiculed the meeting and said he felt like laughing at the meeting as all parties had their different agendas. In West Bengal, Trinamool witnessed a massive victory in the Panchayat elections.
