Having broken the ice and announced the intent to work together, the Opposition bloc is likely to focus on a joint people’s programme and an early joint campaign to get the anti-BJP camp off the ground with a nationwide blitz. The followup to the Patna conclave, scheduled to be held in Shimla next month, is seen as a crucial step in providing a coherent face to the fledgling coalition.
The Shimla gathering would be aimed at erecting the twin pillars of ‘programme and campaign”, which would help provide a strong foundation for the anti-BJP camp, sources said. The brainstorming will discuss a sort of manifesto which would contrast the Opposition with the ruling BJP in terms of policy, with a greater clarity on opposition’s agenda and promises, and failures of the Modi government.
Besides, sources said, the Opposition is also looking at launching a joint campaign across the states to send out a message to the people that the united camp is a serious initiative at presenting an alternative platform to BJP.
“We are eyeing a late July or early August kickstart to public rallies, which will be held in states as part of outreach to the people. More than outreach, it will first be to convey our commitment to the voters,” a source said.
The keenness on a common programme is driven by the belief that the bloc will have to reach out to the people with a positive agenda, rather than just a criticism of the failures of the Modi dispensation.
AAP-Cong discord
The AAP struck a discordant note earlier when the largest non-NDA unity initiative in years that started with leaders of 15 parties congregating in Patna to strategise for Mission 2024 culminated with 14 of them on the same page.AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal wanted the Congress to support its stand against the central decree on control of administrative services in the national capital.
Sources said that while brainstorming the opposition's joint strategy for 2024 at Nitish's residence, Kejriwal insisted that Congress make an announcement at the end of the meeting that it would support AAP on the ordinance. Neither Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge nor Rahul Gandhi gave any clearcut assurance to AAP, sources said.