The inaugural gathering of the 14-member coordination committee representing the opposition bloc known as INDIA is scheduled to convene in the nation's capital on September 13, as announced by party leaders on Sunday.
This significant meeting, hosted at the residence of NCP leader Sharad Pawar, is poised to chart the course for the coalition's strategies and forthcoming initiatives, according to the leaders. The INDIA coalition, comprising over two dozen opposition parties, has been forged with the primary objective of collectively challenging the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections, PTI reported.
During their previous meeting in Mumbai, leaders from various INDIA-affiliated parties came together to establish this 14-member coordination committee, which is slated to serve as the pivotal decision-making body within the opposition alliance.
On the eve of the meeting, Abhishek Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress general secretary and a member of the coordination committee, raised eyebrows by disclosing that he had been served a summons by the Enforcement Directorate to appear on September 13, coinciding with the committee's meeting date. He took the opportunity to take a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressing his bemusement at the timing of the summons.
Apart from Sharad Pawar and Abhishek Banerjee, the coordination committee boasts a roster of influential political figures, including K C Venugopal of the Congress, T R Baalu representing the DMK, Hemant Soren from the JMM, Sanjay Raut representing Shiv Sena-UBT, Tejashwi Yadav from the RJD, Raghav Chadha of AAP, Javed Ali Khan representing the SP, Lalan Singh of the JD(U), D Raja from the CPI, Omar Abdullah representing the National Conference, Mehbooba Mufti of the PDP, and a representative from the CPI-M.
