A day after fireworks at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, with the party still trying to recover, an attempt is being made to recover lost ground and do some damage control.
Sources on Tuesday said party interim president Sonia Gandhi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee have got together to take on the BJP over an issue they feel can endear themselves to many, especially students. The two leaders have convened a meeting of like-minded opposition chief ministers at 2.30pm on Wednesday.
Apart from Banerjee and chief ministers of Congress-ruled states, Jharkhand’s Hemant Soren and Maharashtra’s Uddhav Thackeray attend the meeting to be held through video-conference. Top of the agenda is postponement of the NEET and JEE Main examinations scheduled for the first week of September. Also on the agenda is protecting the federal structure of the country.
Banerjee on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the second time, asking for postponement of the exams to be held amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Sources said the issue of compensation to states would also be discussed in a bid to evolve a collective stand ahead of the the August 27 GST Council meeting.
The meeting assumes significance as it will be held in the backdrop of an almost non-existent opposition unity, especially over key issues. Opposition unity has taken a huge setback, particularly during parliament sessions due to which the government was able to pass key bills, such as the one on triple talaaq.
At the initiative of Banerjee and Gandhi, a renewed attempt is being made to rally together the opposition to take on the BJP government over an issue likely to resonate with many, especially students and middle class.
But more importantly, sources say, this is an attempt to also reiterate that Gandhi still has the charisma and power to reach out to opposition leaders and that she is heard. It also shows that Banerjee and Gandhi continue to share a good equation despite the TMC and the Congress being at loggerheads in West Bengal.
This little help from Banerjee would help in settling the strong pitch in the CWC that there is no match for Gandhi in the Congress. It would also show to the BJP that the two women are ready to take them on.
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