‘We Will Have a Pre-Poll Alliance’: Mamata After Opposition Meet

Speaking at the mega rally organised by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi, CM Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday, 13 February, took a jibe at PM Modi, saying that the nation needs an educated leader, urging the people to not make the mistake of choosing a 12th pass as their prime minister again.

On Wednesday, at the rally, West Bengal CM and TMC Chief Mamata Banerjee announced that the Opposition will fight together in the 2019 elections in a pre-poll alliance to defeat the Modi government.

This mega rally, attended by top Opposition leaders, is the second broadside against the BJP ahead of Lok Sabha polls, after Mamata Banerjee’s rally in January.

Many of the top Opposition leaders also met at NCP Chief Sharad Pawar's residence after the rally on Wednesday.

AAP Delhi Convenor Gopal Rai told PTI that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, National Conference (NC) leader Farooq Abdullah and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar will attend the rally.

Leaders from the Samajwadi Party (SP), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and other parties would also be in attendance.

When asked if Congress President Rahul Gandhi would be present at the rally, Rai said an invite was sent to him. He added that AAP had invited all Opposition leaders who had gathered at the mega anti-BJP rally convened by Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata last month.

Posters of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee have been put up across Delhi ahead of the mega Opposition rally on Wednesday, 13 February.

Ahead of the mega Opposition rally in Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, “Countless freedom fighters laid down their lives for our freedom and democracy. We cannot forget their sacrifices and remain silent to the tyranny of any dictator."

TMC Chief and West Bengal Chief Minister, while addressing the gathering said that she might be opposing the Left parties and Congress in West Bengal, but she will support them in the fight against PM Modi at the national level.

"In the future, we will fight together. Whatever fight Congress and CPM has with us at the state level, that will stay, but we will fight together at the national level (against the BJP). Let them fight against me, I don't mind but for the greater interest of the nation, I am ready to sacrifice my life, I am ready to sacrifice my party, I am ready to sacrifice everything," she said.

Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu, NC chief Farooq Abdullah, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal met at NCP chief Sharad Pawar's residence after Kejriwal’s Opposition rally in Delhi.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi also reached Pawar’s residence to meet the leaders.

Former J&K Chief Minister and NC leader Omar Abdullah took to Twitter to say that forging a united Opposition will be difficult.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi after meeting Opposition leaders at Sharad Pawar’s residence said that the meet was constructive and everybody decided to fight against assault on institutions by the BJP.

“We had a very constructive meeting. We agreed that principal target for all of us is to fight against assault on institutes being carried out by BJP,” he said.

“We agreed that principal target for all of us is to wipe assault on Indian institutions being carried out by Narendra Modi, BJP and RSS. We agreed to start a conversation about a common minimum programme and we have a commitment that we're all going to work together to defeat the BJP,” he said.

West Bengal CM and TMC Chief Mamata Banerjee said that the Opposition will work together at the national level with a pre-poll alliance.

“We'll work together at the national level. We'll have a common minimum agenda. We'll have a pre-poll alliance,” she said.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, while addressing the Opposition rally in the national capital on Wednesday, 13 February took a jibe at PM Modi, saying that the nation needs an educated leader. He also said that people should not make the mistake of choosing a 12th pass as their prime minister again.

Referring to the pre-poll alliance, CPI (M)’s Hannan Mollah said it would be difficult to distribute seats among so many parties.

“Opposition parties might fight among themselves. I don't think they’ll be able to make Common Minimum Program and fight together. Communist parties won't be able to stay in this alliance,” he said.

AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said that they were anxious to be a part of the Opposition alliance but that the Congress has nearly said no.

“We are very worried about the country, which is why we are anxious to be part of the Opposition alliance. But the Congress has nearly said no”, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi addressed the Jan Aakrosh Rally in Valsad, Gujarat. Attacking PM Modi in his speech, he said that the Modi government had refused to waive farmers’ loans but had written off Rs 3.5 lakh crore debt of 15 top industrialists.

He also spoke about the Rafale deal, saying that Defence Ministry and Air Force had said that PM Narendra Modi conducted parallel negotiations with Dassault Aviation on the deal.

In his speech, he also told the people that under the Congress regime would receive the benefits of the Minimum Income Guarantee Scheme, through which they would receive sums of money directly in their accounts.

BJP National President Amit Shah on Thursday hit out at the Opposition alliance, saying it ‘lacked’ leaders, policies and philosophy, and billed his party-led NDA as ‘strong.’

“Under BJP leader and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, NDA’s strong alliance is ready to lead the nation,” he said, reported PTI.