After poll jolt, Sonia Gandhi to meet opposition leaders on 13 March

New Delhi: Three days after Congress’ debacle in the North East, former party president Sonia Gandhi has decided to invite key opposition leaders to a dinner meeting on 13 March. The meeting, which comes in the middle of the budget session, has been called to rethink the opposition’s strategy to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Gandhi’s overture comes at a time when efforts to stitch a non-Congress, non-BJP front have gained traction. Telangana chief minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao has proposed such a front and offered to lead it. West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee too has reached out to Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam working president M.K. Stalin in Tamil Nadu.

“We have been informally invited and a formal invite is expected soon. The agenda of the meeting, in the wake of the Northeast results, is to rethink the opposition’s strategy as well as to discuss what issues should be raised jointly in the days to come,” said a senior non-Congress opposition leader requesting anonymity.

BJP is going to be part of government in all the three North East states that went to polls—Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland. Despite winning the largest number of seats, the Congress was voted out of power in Meghalaya as it failed to form an alliance with regional parties.

At least 15 opposition parties are likely to be invited, a Congress leader said.

Interestingly, the lead in reaching out to opposition parties is being taken by Sonia Gandhi and not Congress president Rahul Gandhi who has been in the top office for over two months now.

“Rahul Gandhi is not tested and that is quite obvious. What is also important is that soon after he took over, Sonia Gandhi had already said publicly that she will continue to reach out to opposition parties,” said N. Bhaskara Rao, a New Delhi-based political analyst.

In her first address to the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) after Rahul Gandhi succeeded her, Sonia Gandhi said that she would work with him and other colleagues in “discussions with like-minded political parties to ensure that in the next election the BJP is defeated.”

“The timing of the dinner is also crucial because other leaders are taking a lead and reaching out for a Third Front. The coordination or dinner meeting is also a way to pre-empt any such move. However, in the long run, such things will not really add to Congress’ revival,” Rao added.