Ahead of Opposition meet, Cong accuses BJP of 'misusing' central agencies

Leaders from 26 opposition parties will be attending the brainstorming session in Bengaluru.

Ahead of a meeting of the Opposition parties in Bengaluru today, the Congress has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre of misusing central agencies.

“We are all united by a common purpose to protect democracy in this country, to ensure constitutional rights and the independence of our institutions,” said Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal. He alleged that the country’s institutions are under attack by the BJP-led government.

“They (BJP) want to silence the Opposition voice. Agencies like the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation are being misused to suppress our voice," Venugopal said.

The disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from Parliament is one of the biggest examples of misusing power, along with the splitting of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra. “The BJP wants to destabilise the elected governments by using agencies," Venugopal said.

The two-day meeting will begin at 6pm on July 17 with the address by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. This is the second such meeting after the mega Patna summit convened on June 23 by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and his daughter Supriya Sule will skip the first day and join the meeting on July 18 in Bengaluru.

Top leaders from 26 Opposition parties are expected to attend the session and are likely to work on a common minimum programme and announce a joint plan to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The meeting will also have discussions on naming the joint front, seat sharing, and the strategy to be followed on the ground.

“Today (July 17), Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is hosting the dinner. The meeting will officially start on July 18 at 11am, after which, around 4pm, leaders of 26 parties will brief the media,” said Congress senior leader and MP Jairam Ramesh.

He alleged that the BJP and Prime Minister Modi have been shattered after the Opposition meet in Patna. The BJP is thinking of reviving the NDA, and a meeting has been called by them, he said.

“If PM (Narendra) Modi is stronger than the entire Opposition and he alone is enough for them, (then) why is he calling 30 parties? Names of these parties should be disclosed. Are they even registered with the Election Commission of India?" wondered Kharge. "The BJP is baffled by what we are doing."

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Congress trouble-shooter DK Shivakumar said joining together is the beginning, thinking together is progress, and working together is success. "We are all united, and there will be a great deliberation on July 18 on how to shape the future of this country,” he said.