A breakfast meeting called by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi saw the participation of several Opposition parties – including the NCP, Shiv Sena, and TMC, among others – on Tuesday, 3 August, ahead of the commencement of proceedings of the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
Post the meeting, Gandhi and other Opposition leaders rode bicycles to the Parliament to protest against rising fuel prices.
Catch all the updates on the Monsoon Session of Parliament here.
'The More Powerful the Voice, The More Difficult for BJP-RSS to Suppress it'
During the meeting with leaders from Opposition parties at the Constitution Club in Delhi, Gandhi emphasised the power of 'Opposition unity'. “The single-most important thing in my view is that we unite this force. The more this voice (of the people) unites, the more powerful this voice will become, the more difficult it’ll become for BJP-RSS to suppress it,” the Congress leader was quoted as saying.
Among other parties that found representation at the meeting were DMK, RJD, Samajwadi Party, CPI(M), IUML, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, National Conference, Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), Kerala Congress (M) and Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD).
Meanwhile, Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party did not attend the meeting.
- 01/03
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi greets Opposition leaders during a breakfast meeting at the Constitution Club in Delhi.
(Photo: PTI)
- 02/03
NCP leader Praful Patel speaks during a breakfast meeting of Opposition leaders at the Constitution Club.
(Photo: PTI)
- 03/03
Rahul Gandhi listens to DMK leader Kanimozhi during a breakfast meeting of Opposition leaders.
(Photo: PTI)
The meeting comes amid vociferous Opposition protests during the Monsoon Session of the Parliament over issues including the Pegasus spyware controversy and the farm laws, with both the Houses seeing repeated disruptions and adjournments.
In the last few weeks, speculation has also been mounting around Opposition unity ahead of the 2024 general elections.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)