The opposition unity was dealt a blow on Friday as the Nationalist Congress Party stayed away from a meeting of the parties called by Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
In all, 18 parties were invited for the meeting, and 16 attended it, the absentees being the NCP and Kerala Congress-Mani.
Asked about the NCP not attending the meeting, leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said there was no need to read too much into it. He began by saying Kerala Congress-Mani could not attend as it was holding a party convention, and went on to explain NCP's absence by pointing out that the party's chief Sharad Pawar has not been keeping well, and that he has not been able to attend Parliament as well for the past few days.
“In so far as the NCP is concerned, you may be knowing that Sharad Pawarji is unwell for the last four or five days, which is why he was not able to attend Rajya Sabha also. Had he been in Delhi, and not unwell, he would have attended (the meeting),” Azad told reporters after the meeting.
Asked if the NCP is distancing itself from the opposition bloc, he said, “Today morning also I spoke with Sharadji... When I have spoken personally to Sharadji, why should I believe sources.”
NCP's absence raises questions about its continuation in the opposition group as well as strengthens the speculation that the party may be cosying up to the BJP. According to Congress sources, the two NCP MLAs in Gujarat did not vote for Sonia Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel in the Rajya Sabha elections. In what was a cliff hanger of an election, Pawar had assured the Congress of the support of at least one of his MLAs. Patel, who got 43 Congress votes, is learnt to have bailed out by the vote cast in his favour by the lone JD(U) MLA in the assembly.
The opposition group is already weakened by the shock exit of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Meanwhile, it was decided in Friday's meeting that a group would be formed to coordinate opposition's efforts to take on the Modi government in the intervening period before the Winter Session begins. Sonia has been authorised to form this group.
CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said the opposition parties need to create an alternative narrative in which people's issues are central.
RJD's Jaiprakash Yadav said his party chief Lalu Prasad Yadav has invited all opposition parties for the rally to be held in Patna on August 27.
Among the leaders who attended the meeting were former prime minister Manmohan Singh, senior Congress leader A.K. Antony, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, BSP's Satish Mishra and CPI national secretary D. Raja.
