Opposition meeting in Delhi today: Top leaders to discuss Common Minimum Programme

Opposition party meeting in Delhi: Top leaders to discuss Common Minimum Programme

Opposition parties leaders will meet today in Delhi to discuss the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) and chalk out future strategy in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls. According to news agency ANI, the Left parties will participate in the meeting. They had earlier said that they will not participate in the meeting.

The meeting will take place in the Parliament House Annexe Extension building. All the opposition parties’ leaders are expected to discuss a final strategy to give a shape to the agenda of the grand alliance.

Today’s meeting will be the third meeting of the opposition parties in 2019 and second in a month. Opposition leaders had last met on February 13 in Delhi.

According to news agency ANI, Pulwama attack and India’s response to it are also on the agenda of discussion.

Meanwhile, it is believed CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury had refused lend his expertise to prepare the CMP. But later, opposition leaders intervened and requested him to be present at the meeting in Delhi. Yechury had played a key role in drafting a CMP in 1996 for the United Front government and 2004 for Congress-led UPA government.

The decision to draft a CMP was mooted at the February 13 meeting of opposition leaders. The meeting took place at NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s resident. It was attended by West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah.

Earlier, Rahul had proposed that there be a CMP of grand alliance and the aim should be to forge state-level alliances to defeat the BJP.