In the backdrop of mass suspensions of Opposition MPs from the Parliament for the second consecutive day on Tuesday, 19 December, parties of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc met in New Delhi where top leaders discussed the way forward, including seat-sharing, for taking on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Most senior leaders including Sharad Pawar (NCP), Mamata Banerjee (TMC), Lalu Yadav (RJD), Nitish Kumar (JD(U)), Sonia Gandhi (Congress), Rahul Gandhi (Congress), Mallikarjun Kharge (Congress), Arvind Kejriwal (AAP), MK Stalin (DMK), and Akhilesh Yadav (Samajwadi Party) were present in the meeting.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge announced nationwide protests across India on December 22 in response to the suspension of MPs.
“We have passed a resolution that suspension is undemocratic. We will all have to fight to save democracy and all of us are ready to do that. We raised the issue of security breach in the Parliament. We have been saying for a long time that Union HM Amit Shah or PM Modi should come to the Parliament and speak in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha about the issue of Parliament security breach, but they are refusing to do so,” Mallikarjun Kharge said in an address after the meeting.
Meanwhile reports came that Mallikarjun Kharge’s name was proposed as the Opposition’s face for Prime Minister for the Lok Sabha elections next year.
Responding to it, the Congress president said the opposition will first unite to bring majority, even as he neither confirmed nor denied about the proposal.
Reports say TMC chief Mamata Banerjee and AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal made the proposal at the meet of the Opposition bloc. Twelve of the participating parties applauded the plan, according to reports.
 bloc met in New Delhi where top leaders discussed the way forward, including seat-sharing, for taking on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.){kind=link}