Rahul Gandhi was ready with some basic statistics and a call for unity while his party machinery had arranged a healthy breakfast and 78 bicycles when he met with the MPs from 15 opposition parties on Tuesday.
The meeting, a first of its kind initiative from the Congress leader's side, turned out to be a successful attempt for forging opposition unity, party sources claim. Gandhi had been meeting various opposition leaders during the ongoing Parliament session. The plan to invite all the opposition MPs for a breakfast gathering came from his office on Monday. The MPs were called from Gandhi's office.
At the meeting Gandhi addressed the MPs from all opposition parties, barring BSP, AAP and YSRCP, and asserted the need to be united for protecting the pluralistic and democratic fabric of the country.
In his address after the breakfast, Gandhi stressed on the fact that the opposition had 60 per cent of the vote share in the country.
“He told the MPs that the government was functioning, ignoring the voice of the 60 per cent of the population,” a Congress MP who attended the meeting told Onmanorama. Gandhi called on the opposition MPs to work in unison outside Parliament also.
“We have slightly different perspectives of the world, we come from different states, different ideas. But I think we should develop a foundation of unity. And then, within that unity, we can have a few discussions and arguments where we can disagree with each other. But we have to work on the principles of that unity,” Gandhi told the gathering in a video accessed by Onmanorama.
By the end of his address, Gandhi suggested they proceed to Parliament riding bicycles to protest the surge in fuel price. “We had arranged 78 bicycles. Of them, 18 were newly purchased and 60 were used ones,” the Congress MP said.
“I don't know if many of you would like to do it or not, it's completely up to you. I thought that as far as the fuel prices are concerned, the people of India are struggling. So I thought symbolically we go to Parliament on cycles. People would feel that the opposition feels the pain of the fuel prices,” Gandhi said.
“Parliament is 3.5 km from the Constitution Club where the gathering took place. In fact, many did not think that Rahul Gandhi would ride all the distance,” he said.
He termed the meeting and the rally the first pointer to the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
Asked about the response of the non-Congress leaders who attended the gathering, the MP said everyone was happy to see the initiative coming from Rahul Gandhi.
Prashant Kishore in attendance
Political strategist Prashant Kishore also attended the meeting. Another Congress MP said Kishore's presence at the meeting was part of the Congress' ongoing efforts to coordinate a united opposition. Asked if the meeting and the bicycle rally was Kishore's idea, the Congress MP said, 'no'. He said the rally was already planned by the party.
The process begins: CPI MP
Senior CPI leader and Rajya Sabha MP Binoy Viswam said “the ball has started rolling” with the meeting. He meant that the move was the first step of a larger opposition unity against the BJP government.
“It's a struggle oriented move. One may ask who is leading it. At this stage, as far as the CPI is concerned, we are not worried about that matter. It's a process of change. Let the process begin and let it go to the natural conclusion. At that stage a leader will emerge, it can be X Y or Z,” he said.
Viswam was among the leaders who rode a bicycle along with Gandhi. CPM's Rajya Sabha MP Elamaram Kareem spoke at the gathering.
MPs from the DMK, NCP, Shiv Sena, RJD, Samajwadi Party, CPI(M), CPI, IUML, RSP, KCM, JMM, National Conference, TMC, and the LJD attended the meet.
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