Leaders of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) would have an online meeting on January 13, the Congress said. The meeting comes in the middle of seat-sharing talks and a day before the official launch of the Manipur-to-Mumbai Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra on January 14.
“INDIA party leaders will be meeting over Zoom tomorrow January 13th, 2023 at 11:30 am. They will review various issues like seat-sharing talks that have begun, participation in Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra that will begin from Thoubal near Imphal day after tomorrow, and other important matters. Badlega Bharat. Jeetega INDIA! [India will change, INDIA will win],” Congress communication chief Jairam Ramesh said on January 12 in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
However, another Opposition leader claimed that no agenda has been cited as Congress general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal only informed about the meeting. “No agenda has been spelt out except that it will be a Zoom meeting,” the leader said.
The meeting comes amid Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge reaching out to INDIA bloc leaders for closer coordination.
The Hindu had earlier reported that in the past few days, Mr. Kharge had spoken to Janata Dal (United) chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, his Tamil Nadu counterpart and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief M.K. Stalin, and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray, among others.
These efforts are said to have intensified after the JD(U) publicly conveyed its displeasure at Mr. Kumar not being made the convener of the Opposition bloc.
“Mr. Kharge has been in touch with the leaders of all INDIA parties to figure out how best to create a system for closer coordination,” Mr. Ramesh had said on Wednesday, without specifying if the Opposition bloc would name a convener soon.
On seat-sharing talks, the Congress communication chief had said, “The Congress leadership is committed to making INDIA bloc effective and we will go the extra mile to accommodate all our allies.”
