Disquiet over Kapil Sibal's presence at INDIA meet, Rahul Gandhi said this
A row erupted after Kapil Sibal was seen at Opposition bloc INDIA meeting underway in Mumbai. While it did not go down well with some of the Congress leaders, Rahul Gandhi said he had no objection with anyone whatsoever.
Row over Kapil Sibal's entry in INDIA bloc meeting in Mumbai (Video screengrab/India Today)
Mumbai,UPDATED: Sep 1, 2023 16:36 IST
Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal's presence at Opposition bloc INDIA's meeting in Mumbai on Friday reportedly didn't go down well with some Congress leaders. Sibal, who left Congress last year and was backed by the Samajwadi Party for Rajya Sabha, was not an official invitee to the meeting, sources said.
Senior Congress leader KC Venugopal reportedly complained about Sibal's sudden visit to former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray as INDIA alliance leaders met in Mumbai for the second and final day of the meeting.
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Sources say several leaders were also uncomfortable with Sibal being part of a photo session of leaders of the opposition bloc. However, National Conference's Farooq Abdullah and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav reportedly spoke to KC Venugopal who appears to have relented after Rahul Gandhi's stance on the matter.
Gandhi reportedly said that he had no objection to anyone attending the meeting.
Eventually, Kapil Sibal joined the opposition leaders for a photo session.
WHAT IS HAPPENING AT INDIA MEET?
On Friday, top leaders of the Opposition bloc INDIA initiated crucial discussions to give structure to their cooperation and crystallise their plans for seat sharing and a common agenda to take on the NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Sources also said that the opposition grouping should have a team of spokespersons who would speak on behalf of the alliance. They will also discuss issues relating to having a convenor for the bloc.
During the formal talks in the third round of meetings, the opposition leaders are likely to come out with a joint statement and announce the coordination panel besides some sub-panels to give proper shape to their poll plans.
Leaders, who have gathered here from across the country, will move forward on specific issues like setting up a coordination committee and forming subgroups to work on their common agenda, media strategy, joint actions and programmes.
During informal talks over dinner on Thursday night, the leaders stressed the urgency to finalise seat sharing and come out with a joint agenda in a few weeks' time, sources said.