Bengaluru Joint Opposition Meet Day 2: Modi slams gathering as corruption conference; Kharge says Congress not after power

The top leaders from 26 Opposition parties are attending the Opposition Meeting underway in Bengaluru since Monday. The joint meeting will conclude later in the afternoon after deliberating the alliance strategies. Follow this page for updates.

Bengaluru:After winding up with a social dinner on Monday night, the top party leaders from 26 Opposition parties will assemble on Tuesday morning to listen to Congress party chief Mallikarjuna Kharge. This article will bring you updates related to the Opposition Meeting and related developments at one place.

• West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in a brief video interaction, while attending the Opposition meet in Begaluru, exuded confidence over the outcome of the meeting. "The fallout has to be good for democracy and the country," the Trinamool Congress chief said. Read more...
• The Congress chief Kharge dismissed speculations of launching Rahul Gandhi as the party's Prime Ministerial candidate as rumours saying that his party is neither interested in PM post nor in power. “I had already said in Chennai, on MK Stalin’s birthday, that Congress is not interested in power or the post of Prime Minister. Our intention in this meeting is not to gain power for ourselves. It is to protect our Constitution, Democracy, Secularism and Social Justice,” Kharge reiterated in his opening remarks. Read more...
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked the opposition unity meet by stating that the primary aim of the get together by the Opposition is for their family and there is nothing for the nation in it. PM Modi accused the Opposition of having corruption as their primary motive in everything that they do. Read more....
• Former CM and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy has accused the Karnataka Congress government for introducing "IAS bonded labour policy" for deputing 30 IAS officers to "serve" its alliance leaders. Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, who leads party unit, has maintained that it is a due protocol for state guests and nothing more. Playing to the bureaucratic gallery, Kumaraswamy said the IAS officers are symbols of State's ability and efficiency, and deputing these officials as "door keepers" to serve politicians is in clear violation of All India Services (Conduct) Rules. Read more...
• Congress president M Mallikarjun Kharge along with top party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi paid homage to former Kerala CM Oommen Chandy. Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar joined them on their visit to Chandy's friend's house in Indiranagar, where mortal remains were kept. Read more...
• Multiple flex banners accusing Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for the Sultanganj bridge collapse have come up at a key traffic junction near the Opposition parties meet venue during the wee hours on Tuesday. Police who swung into action and removed the posters from 'Chalukya Circle.' Nitish Kumar is attending the Opposition meeting after hosting the first one in Patna. Read more...
• NCP founder and party chief Sharad Pawar has left for Bengaluru from his Mumbai residence. He has arrived at Mumbai Airport from where he is expected to fly in to Bengaluru to attend the 'Joint Opposition Meet,' as announced earlier. Pawar's attendance in the crucial meet comes at a time when his nephew Ajit Pawar had broke away from the party to join the Shinde-Fadnavis government.
• The AICC president will deliver his opening remarks at 11 am and the discussion on a six point-agenda will be taken up by the leaders. The leaders will break for lunch at 1 pm and will re-assemble at 2.30 pm. The leaders will choose a coordinator for the alliance and conclude the meeting by 3 pm. A press conference to detail the media on the resolutions adopted by the Opposition leaders will be held at 4 pm. Read more...
• Senior Congress leaders are expected to pay their respects to veteran and two time Chief Minister Oommen Chandy who died here after a prolonged illnesss during the early hours of Tuesday. Read more...