INDIA leaders to skip today’s meet; Cong plans another

NEW DELHI: A meeting of the top leaders of the INDIA opposition bloc has been deferred to the third week of December after some of them expressed their inability to attend it due to their preoccupations.

Another meeting convened by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at his residence here on Wednesday with the floor leaders of the INDIA constituents in Parliament will, however, go ahead according to its schedule to formulate the opposition strategy for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

The decision was taken as some leaders, including Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, said they will not be able to attend Wednesday’s meeting.

Gurdeep Sappal, Congress Working Committee (CWC) member and coordinator of the Congress president’s office, said on X: “A coordination meeting of parliamentary party leaders of INDIA bloc will be held at 6 pm on December 6 at the residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.”

“Thereafter meeting of party presidents/heads of the INDIA alliance will be scheduled in third week of December at a date convenient to all,” Sappal, also a member of the Campaign Committee of the INDIA bloc, said.

Sources said Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is ‘unwell’ while his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee is busy with a family wedding. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, MK Stalin, is had requested the Congress chief to postpone the meeting after cyclone Michaung hit TN.

“But the INDIA bloc meeting is on. It will be attended by the floor leaders of the parties at the 10, Rajaji Marg residence of the Congress president,” a source said.