Sonia Gandhi meets with 19 Opposition leaders; SP, BSP, AAP skip event

Congress party leaders on Friday informed that the interim chief Sonia Gandhi is holding a meeting with leaders of 19 opposition parties, including the Congress, Trinamool Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, DMK, Shiv Sena, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India-Marxist, National Conference, Rashtriya Janata Dal, All India United Democratic Front, VCK, Loktantrik Janata Dal, Janata Dal-Secular, Rashtriya Lok Dal, Revolutionary Socialist Party, Kerala Congress-Mani, Peoples Democratic Party, and the Indian Union Muslim League. The meeting is to discuss several issues, including the recently-concluded Monsoon Session of Parliament, the economic slowdown, alleged mismanagement of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Pegasus spyware controversy, and the farmers' protest.

However, the Samajwadi Party, the Aam Aadmi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party did not attend the meeting.

The meeting was attended by several, including Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, Congress leaders AK Antony and Mallikarjun Kharge, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury, NCP leader Sharad Pawar, CPI leader D. Raja, and PDP's Mehbooba Mufti.

"We have to struggle and resist all anti-people policies in a more cohesive manner. We have to sharpen our attacks on issues like to income increase, inflation, unemployment, farmers issue, and Covid management," said Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, who is also the chief of JMM.

"We should fight the government collectively," said Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee. She added that opposition parties must set aside their internal difference to take the government head on. The Trinamool also raised issues of the three controversial farm laws and the dictatorship of the central government.

The meeting is being deemed a measure taken by the Gandhi family to reassert their position as the central figures of the Opposition. Former party chief Rahul Gandhi had met several leaders of the Opposition during the monsoon session. Congress leader Kapil Sibal also organised a dinner party on August 9, attended by several opposition leaders.