Oppn bloc INDIA to hold first joint public rally in Bhopal early next month
seat-sharing talks to start "at the earliest"
New Delhi (PTI): Taking another step in its strategic plan to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Opposition bloc INDIA on Wednesday decided to hold their first joint public meeting in Bhopal in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh in the first week of October, and said the constituent parties will start seat-sharing talks "at the earliest."
The opposition alliance also said it will raise issues related to rising prices, unemployment, corruption and caste census.
The decisions were taken at the first meeting of the coordination committee of the INDIA grouping which was held at the residence of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar here.
Twelve leaders of the 14-member panel, the highest decision making body of the alliance, were present at the meeting that took place against the backdrop of a raging row over DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin's controversial remark on the Sanatan Dharma.
Congress General Secretary K C Venugopal, who is a member of the panel, said Abhishek Banerjee of the TMC could not attend the meeting due to the summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate(ED). The CPI(M) is yet to nominate its member.
He alleged that the ED summons was a result of the "vendetta politics" of the BJP and the prime minister.
"The coordination committee decided to start the process of determining the seat-sharing. It was decided that the member parties will hold the talks and decide (seat-sharing) at the earliest," Venugopal said, reading out from a joint statement.
He said the committee also decided that the opposition bloc's leaders will hold joint public meetings in different parts of the country.
"The first public meeting will be held at Bhopal in the first week of October on the issue of rising prices, unemployment and corruption of the BJP government. The parties present in the meeting agreed to take up the issue of the caste census," the Congress leader said.
Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had an awkward moment when a smiling Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe asked the TMC chief in a lighter vein, whether she is going to lead the INDIA bloc at a chance meeting in Dubai.
Banerjee met Wickremesinghe at the Dubai airport.
"If people support us, we can be in a position (power) tomorrow," replied a a visibly amused chief minister, who is on a 12-day official trip to Dubai and Spain.
At his media briefing, Venugopal also said the coordination committee authorised the sub-group on media to decide upon the names of the anchors on whose shows none of the INDIA parties will send their representatives.
Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) leader Raghav Chadha later told reporters that the BJP is "badly scared" of the INDIA alliance, claiming that "they are so scared that they are even ready to change the name of the country. They love neither Bharat nor India, they only love power."
National Conference(NC) chief Omar Abdullah said discussions on seat sharing will start soon.
"It is impossible to have a uniform formula applied to all. But discussions will start immediately," he said, adding that the primary focus is going to be on Parliament seats, but wherever possible it will happen in the assembly polls too and discussion started on that as well.
"One of the things I have proposed is seats that are already held by members of INDIA bloc, those seats should not be disturbed," he said.
Javed Ali Khan of the Samajwadi Party(SP) said there were no differences between the members. "We decided that seat sharing should be completed as soon as possible."
Asked if there will be seat sharing in assembly polls as well, he said, "It is an alliance... If they bring one nation one election, even for Panchayat elections there will be seat sharing, but that is not the case at present."
Besides Pawar, Venugopal, Chadha, Abdullah and Khan, the other leaders present at the meeting were Jharkhand Chief Minister and JMM leader Hemant Soren, CPI's D Raja, DMK's T R Baalu, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, JD(U)'s Sanjay Jha, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut.
Holding of joint public rallies while taking up public issues was decided at the last meeting of the grouping held in Mumbai.
The resolution issued on September 1 after the third meeting of the bloc in Mumbai, said the parties would contest polls together "as far as possible", and that seat sharing in arrangements in different states would be "initiated immediately" and concluded "at the earliest".
According to opposition leaders while seat sharing in states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Bihar have been more or less sorted out, the negotiations in Delhi, Punjab and West Bengal could be challenging.
The meeting also focussed on finalising campaigns and rallies to be held in the coming days, but no decision in this regard was announced.
Over two dozen opposition parties have formed the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) to challenge the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance(NDA) unitedly in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
At the first meeting of the Opposition bloc in Patna in June, it was decided that the strongest candidate from each seat would be picked up for the Lok Sabha polls.
Sources said that leaders of several opposition parties have sought an early seat-sharing formula to be worked out to ensure that a joint opposition candidate is put up against BJP candidates in Lok Sabha seats.
However, several leaders said the parties have to "shed their egos" and "vested interests" in arriving at such a formula.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
