Sonia Gandhi asks Opposition to stand united for 2024

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday urged opposition parties to "plan systematically" for the 2024 national election and "rise above compulsions" to work unitedly, This is the first time Sonia Gandhi has appealed to the opposition to unite in the political fight against the BJP and target 2024. Giving proof of unity of the Opposition power in Parliament, Sonia Gandhi said the government had to amend the OBC bill because of the unity of the Opposition. She  met 19 opposition leaders in a virtual meeting.

She urged opposition parties to begin to plan "with the single-minded objective of giving to our country a government that believes in the values of the Freedom Movement and in the principles and provisions of our Constitution." Mrs Gandhi said the session was marked by the "determined unity" that all Opposition parties demonstrated for over 20 days in both houses of parliament. "We functioned in a coordinated manner with daily discussions among our floor leaders... I am confident that this unity will be sustained in future sessions of Parliament as well. But the larger political battle has to be fought outside it," she said, referring to the next general election.

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, NCP leader Sharad Pawar, RJD's Tejashwi Yadav and Left leader Sitaram Yechury were among those who joined the virtual meet. But Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav skipped the meet and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Mayawati was not invited, which discredits the unity talk when it comes to the country's most politically vital state, Uttar Pradesh. Aam Aadmi Party's Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, and the Akali Dal were also omitted from the guest list.