Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and NCP chief Sharad Pawar would attend the virtual meeting of opposition leaders called by Congress president Sonia Gandhi on August 20, party leaders confirmed here on Friday.
Thackeray will attend the meeting, Sena leader Sanjay Raut told PTI.
NCP MP Supriya Sule too confirmed that Pawar will be taking part in the meeting.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, who piloted his DMK to a spectacular win in the April 6 Assembly election, is likely to attend a virtual interaction with Congress president Sonia Gandhi on August 20.
Confirming that the Congress leadership has convened a virtual meet next Friday, possibly in a bid to unite non-BJP parties, a senior DMK leader said Stalin is likely to take part in the meet.
“We are expecting an official invite today. Probably it will be received by his (Chief Minister’s) office,” he said, adding, Stalin, president of the ruling party, would attend if invited.
The Trinamool Congress has received an invite to a virtual meet for opposition leaders by Congress president Sonia Gandhi slated for August 20, a political aide of TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee confirmed.
The TMC is likely to join the meeting.
Gandhi has called the meet in the midst of a political row over alleged phone tapping of opposition leaders, judges and journalists and rowdy scenes in Parliament.
While the agenda of the meeting is not known, it is expected to discuss a raft of issues irking opposition parties besides helping build bridge to forge opposition unity.
The DMK, NCP and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha are among parties that have been invited, according to multiple sources.
More recently, on Thursday, the TMC came out against the suspension of the Congress’ Twitter handles, displaying what many saw as signs of a rekindling of a spirit of opposition unity.
Banerjee’s advisor and political campaign pundit Prashant Kishor has also been reaching out to various opposition leaders, while Pawar has also held a meeting with eminent persons and opposition leaders.
Political analysts see these meetings as essential stepping stones to forging unity among political parties ahead of a raft of state assembly elections including in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, in the next three years leading to national elections in 2024.
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