New Delhi: Evolving a "core positive agenda", seat sharing and a programme to take out joint rallies are among the main challenges before the opposition INDIA bloc that will be taken up at its next meeting in the national capital on December 19. "The 4th meeting of the leaders of INDIA parties will be held on December 19 in New Delhi at 3 pm," Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X on Sunday.
The parties intend to move forward with the unity theme - "Main Nahin, Hum" (We, Not Me) - as a counter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the meeting, a senior leader of the Congress said. The meeting is being held in the backdrop of the Congress' poor show in the just concluded assembly elections where it suffered humiliating defeats in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, while the BJP asserted that people have affirmed their faith in "Modi's guarantees" and will re-elect his government in 2024.
The challenge before the opposition parties now is to come out with an alternative positive agenda to counter the BJP in the next general elections, the leader said. Sources said during the meeting, the parties would chalk out plans on seat sharing, for holding joint election rallies and would evolve a common programme for them.
"The election results are not a rejection of issues that were raised in this poll campaign," the leader said on poll planks like caste census and restoration of Old Pension Scheme that have been raised by the opposition parties. He, however, admitted that the party would think out of the box to take on the BJP in 2024.
"Main Nahin, Hum" (We, Not Me) is the likely slogan that the opposition parties would work on to counter Modi. Sources add that the opposition alliance of the INDIA bloc is likely to take forward the issues of caste census, legal guarantee to MSP, and social security for workers. "Evolving the core positive agenda for the INDIA bloc is the biggest challenge for the opposition parties that would help it take on the BJP," the leader said.