December 6, 2023
NEW DELHI – The Congress on Tuesday deferred the December 6 meeting of INDIA bloc called by its national president Mallikarjun Kharge. The meeting will now be held in the third week of December on a date convenient to all the alliance partners.
The decision to call off the meeting was taken after several top Opposition leaders, including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Samajwadi Party boss Akhilesh Yadav and Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin conveyed they will skip the meeting.
However, floor leaders of the Opposition parties will meet at the Congress president’s residence tomorrow to discuss the Opposition’s strategy for the ongoing the Winter Session of Parliament.
Earlier on Monday, Trinamool Congress chief and Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee had refused to attend the meeting citing prior commitments in North Bengal from December 6 to 11.
DMK boss and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin also reportedly conveyed his decision to skip the meeting in view of Cyclone Michaung that made landfall earlier today and wreaked havoc in several coastal districts of Tamil Nadu.
Bihar Chief Minister and JDU president Nitish Kumar is reportedly unwell and he too would have missed the December 6 INDIA bloc meeting in Delhi. Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav has also reportedly expressed his unavailability.
The Congress party was given the leadership role in INDIA bloc. However, it’s defeat in the recently concluded Assembly elections in three Hindi heartland states has weakened it’s position within the alliance bloc.