Consensus to Stop BJP Assault on Institutions: Rahul at Oppn Meet

Congress president Rahul Gandhi, in the opposition meet held on 10 December, said that there was “consensus in the room” to stop the BJP’s “assault on our institutions- CBI, RBI, EC and on the constitution.”

In a major step towards forming an anti-BJP front, top Opposition leaders have gathered to discuss a grand alliance against the saffron party in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

A total of 21 opposition parties are present at the meeting at Delhi’s Parliament House Annexe.

The meeting comes a day before results of the five state Assembly polls are scheduled to be announced and the Winter Session of Parliament is slated to begin.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, former Union minister Sharad Yadav, and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah are a few of many leaders attending the meeting.

We, the leaders of secular parties, met this afternoon in New Delhi.

We reaffirmed our strong and steadfast resolve to confront and defeat the forces that are subverting our Constitution and making a mockery of our democracy.

India needs a government that cares for working class, kisans and khet mazdoors and is always sensitive to the enormous pain that they and their families are going through.

India needs a government that makes education accessible and affordable to all sections of the people and fulfills the aspirations of youth for decent and secure jobs that provide fair wages to the employed.

India needs a government that empowers the weaker sections of society—scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, OBCs, women and minorities—to lead a life of complete security and dignity.

India needs a truthful government that does not propagate falsehoods and does not make bogus claims, that steadfastly follows Constitutional values and conventions in letter and spirit, that respects the autonomy of institutions, and that will banish the current all-pervasive atmosphere of fear and intimidation. A case in point is the sinister attack on autonomy of Reserve Bank of India by Modi government that has led to the unceremonious exit of RBI Governor today. We deprecate the systematic attack by the government on India’s Economy through a select band of government nominees arbitrarily dictating the Monitory Policies and compromising RBI’s institutional integrity.

India needs a government that is committed to faster economic growth which is socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable and growth that does not sharpen inequalities among people and among states. India needs a government that is not mired in rank corruption and loot of people’s resources, a government which does not attack the entire Banking System through insurmountable NPA’s benefitting crony capitalists. India needs a government that does not put a conspiratorial lid over multiple corruption scams like Rafale; nor becomes an abettor to the escape of bank defaulters.

India needs a government where Economic Growth focuses on addressing the concerns of small traders, shopkeepers and micro, small and medium enterprises that have been devastated by demonetisation and the ill-planned implementation of GST. We need a government where harassment of businessmen and industrialists would end and the spirit of enterprise must be allowed full freedom.

India needs a government that deals decisively with the problems of the present and the challenges of the future instead of a government that is only interested in re-imagining the past, re-writing and distorting history and re-naming cities and streets. India needs a government that listens to the people and not simply lectures to them.

India needs a government, for which Democracy is the magna carta beyond the victories and losses of electoral battles. Innumerable deficiencies, failures and plausible doubts on the neutral functionality of EVM’s per se have raised a question on the neutrality of poll process itself. It is our firm belief that this needs to be redressed without question and without delay.

In the course of the next few months we will place before the people of the country, a comprehensive programme of work anchored in complete transparency and accountability.

We call upon all liberal, progressive and secular forces to join us in our battle to save the Constitution, to protect parliamentary democracy, to preserve the freedom to think, speak and write as a free people, to strengthen the bonds of our unity while celebrating our diversity and to retrieve, repair and rebuild the economy. It is in the interests of safeguarding and strengthening our Constitutional Republic and People’s livelihood that this RSS/BJP government is ousted.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi said, “In the middle of the meeting(of opposition leaders),we were told that RBI Governor has resigned because he could no longer work with govt. There was consensus in the room that we've to stop BJP's assault on our institutions- CBI, RBI, EC and on the constitution.”

He added, “This is a process and it is bringing together everybody. I said in the room that voices in this room are voices of the opposition in the country; our goal is to defeat BJP, protect India’s constitution and our institutions.”

Mamata Banerjee, reacting to RBI Governor Urjit Patel's resignation, said that the Opposition meeting will continue on Tuesday, 11 December. She also said that the RBI governor resigning is a sign of financial emergency.

Total 20 parties are present in the meeting of opposition leaders at Parliament House Annexe in New Delhi.

Members from Congress (INC), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Janata Dal (Secular) (JDS), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M), National Conference (NC), Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), Communist Party of India (CPI), Kerala Congress (M) (KCM), Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM), Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), Aadmi Party (AAP) and Naga People's Front (NPF) are present at the meeting.

No leaders from Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party are present at the meeting.

Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi also reached for the meeting at Parliament annexe.

Other leaders present include Sharad Pawar, Chandrababu Naidu, Farooq Abdullah, MK Stalin, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ashok Gehlot.

JDS leader HD Deve Gowda arrived for the Opposition parties meeting.

Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav reaches Parliament along with Manoj K Jha and JP Yadav.

Jitan Ram Manjhi also joined.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee arrived for the Opposition parties meeting.

Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav is expected to attend the Opposition meet, representing his party.

Aam Aadmi Party chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is expected to attend his first meeting with the joint-opposition leaders, sources told NDTV.

Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrbabu Naidu reportedly invited Kejriwal, saying that it is about strategy and “not necessarily about alliance,” sources told the news channel.

BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya Sunday, 9 December, mocked the scheduled meeting of Opposition parties, and said they should first declare a prime ministerial candidate before thinking of ousting the Narendra Modi government.

"It's really good to see Opposition parties trying to forge an alliance to fight against us. But, first let them declare their prime ministerial candidate, then they should dream of fighting against us and ousting us," he said.

"We have Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is their PM candidate?" he added.

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi is likely to join the Opposition meet on 10 December, a day before the assembly election results for five states are out, Hindustan Times reported.

It was also reported that Conress President Rahul Gandhi is also certain to join the meeting as an effort to get opposition strength for 2019.

Congress leaders told HT that apart from the 2019 elections, the meeting could be about the winter session of the parliament that starts 11 December.