Opposition gears up for 2024 polls, to hold 10-day protest from Sept 20

As many as 19 Opposition parties, on Friday, having held a virtual meeting, decided to chalk out a united strategy to defeat the Central Government in the 2024 General Elections. As part of its plans, the Opposition has decided to launch a 10 day nationwide protest next month.

New Delhi: As many as 19 Opposition parties, on Friday, had a virtual meeting to prepare a united strategy against the Central Government where it has been decided to launch a 10 days nationwide protest starting from September 20 till 30. "We, the leaders of 19 Opposition Parties, call upon the people of India to rise to the occasion to defend our 'Secular, Democratic and Republican' order with all our might. Save India today, so that we can change it for a better tomorrow. The undersigned parties will jointly organize protests all over the country from 20th to 30th September 2021," the statement read. The Opposition also marked a 11-point charter of its demands that it would put forth to the government.

The parties also strongly condemned the manner in which the Central government and the ruling party disrupted the monsoon session of Parliament, refusing to discuss or answer the illegal usage of Pegasus military spyware to conduct unauthorized surveillance, repeal of the three anti-farmer laws, gross mismanagement of Covid-19 pandemic, runaway inflation and spiraling unemployment. The Opposition also alleged that there were many other issues affecting the Country and the people were deliberately ignored by the ruling government.

The 19 Opposition parties who attended the meeting includes - Indian National Congress, Trinamool Congress, NCP, DMK, Shiv Sena, JMM, CPI, CPM, National Conference, Rashtriya Janta Dal, AIUDF, VCK, Loktantrik Janata Dal, JDS, RLD, RSP, Kerala Congress Mani, PDP, and IUML.

Leader of Samajwadi Party, Akhilesh Yadav wrote a letter and expressed his inability to join the meeting as he was in the interior of the State, the joint statement later clarified. While Bahujan Samaj Party chose to skip the meeting, the Aam Aadmi Party didn't get an invitation.

Stressing over the need of a united Opposition, TMC Chief and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said, "Let us forget who is the leader, let us keep our personal interests aside. Every opposition party should be brought in. People are the leader. Let us set up a core group and work together to decide on the next line of action and programmes."

While RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav mentioned that the recent assembly polls in West Bengal and Bihar could serve as an inspiration for the big battle in 2024. He also underscored that the opposition needed to bring in "dhaar" (edge) and "nayaapan" (novelty) in its electoral issues.

NCP Supremo Sharad Pawar asserted, "Those who believe in democracy and secularism, those who like to work together for saving the democratic principles and ethos of our country must come together."

Congress President Sonia Gandhi also raised a similar concern saying, "The ultimate goal is the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, for which we have to begin to plan systematically with the single-minded objective of giving to our country a government, that believes in the values of the Freedom Movement and in the principles and provisions of our Constitution."