Opposition vs NDA Meeting Live Updates: 39 parties repose full faith in PM Modi's leadership, says NDA resolution

JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Tuesday accused the Congress government in Karnataka of introducing “IAS bonded labour policy" in the State by deputing 30 IAS officers to "serve" its alliance leaders, meeting in the city to strategise for the 2024 Lok Sabha election. The former Chief Minister said IAS officers are symbols of State's ability and efficiency, and deputing these officials as "door keepers" to serve politicians is in clear violation of All India Services (Conduct ) Rules.

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress chief, maintained that due protocol for state guests has been followed.

The second and concluding day of the opposition unity meeting in Bengaluru is set to begin here on Tuesday, with 26 like-minded parties closing ranks with a common aim of taking on the Bharatiya Janata Party in the next year's Lok Sabha polls.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, on the other hand, will be holding a meeting of 38 parties of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the national capital on Tuesday.

The NDA meeting will be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The meeting of the NDA is being organised to mark the completion of 9 years of the central government under PM Modi.

Meanwhile, the first day of the Opposition party's meeting started with the dinner meeting hosted by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

After the dinner Congress leader BK Hariprasad said that the meeting started with a good signal and it would be the end of BJP in 2024.

On being asked about the NDA meeting scheduled to be held in Delhi, he said, "That would be National Disaster Alliance".

Earlier, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav hoped that the people of the country would hand the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a massive defeat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The BJP is eying a grand show of strength of its alliance on Tuesday with party president J P Nadda asserting that 38 constituents of the ruling NDA have confirmed their participation in the meeting where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also be present.

This will be the first such meeting of the BJP-led NDA during the second term of the Modi government and underscores the party's focus on highlighting its ability to make alliances at a time when opposition parties have been meeting to forge unity in the run-up to 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

The NDA meeting will see the presence of several new BJP allies like the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar and many of its former partners, such as Chirag Paswan, O P Rajbhar, Upendra Kushwaha and Jitan Ram Manjhi, who have decided to return to its fold.

With Aam Aadmi Party which emerged with anti-Congress agenda and marked its footprints in some states, has suddenly landed in the Opposition's platform following the Congress support to the AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal against Centre's ordinance regarding control of administrative services in the national capital. As Opposition parties are sinking their differences to unite just to counter the BJP juggernaut.

The regional parties which have been rivals sta the state level and have been splintered at the national level are now looking seeking refuge in BJP or the Opposition.

BJP National President JP Nadda announced that that 38 National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners have confirmed their attendance to the meeting to be held in the national capital tomorrow.

The NDA meeting in the national capital will be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The meeting of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is being organised to mark the completion of 9 years of the central government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"United We Stand" is the slogan on posters that dotted the streets of Bengaluru with pictures of opposition leaders, including Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, NCP's Sharad Pawar, AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal, DMK chief M K Stalin and leaders of Left and some regional outfits.

Top leaders of 26 opposition parties were arriving on Monday for the two-day brainstorming session

This is his second meeting with his uncle in 24 hours, and third overall after he rebelled against the NCP supremo and joined the Maharashtra government

Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA)'s scheduled meeting in Delhi on July 18, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday said that the saffron party is "baffled" by what the opposition is doing and hence gathering "factions of parties." "If he (PM Modi) is stronger than the entire Opposition and he alone is enough for them, why is he calling together the 30 parties? Disclose the names of these parties. Are they even registered with the Election Commission? People with us have always been with us...They are baffled by what we are doing, so they are gathering factions of parties to show their strength," Kharge said.

"After Karnataka elections we had one meeting at Patna. It was an important meeting and all parties which attended Patna meeting expressed their strong resolve to fight unitedly and defeat BJP in order to save the nation, Constitution, democracy, federalism and secular fabric of our society. After that this meeting is going to take place in Bengaluru today and tomorrow and more number of parties is going to participate in Bengaluru meeting to BJP is getting rattled. The have become desperate," D Raja said.

Ahead of the second Opposition meeting CPI(Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury said that the meeting will definitely create an impact. "Naturally Opposition Meeting would create an impact, that's why we are here. In fact people are asking questions whether It would create an impact, it is creating an impact already and it will,” Yechury said. The CPI (M) General Secretary said that cooperation among the opposition is needed “in order to ensure that the country we are born in remains the country we were born in.”

The Congress on Monday asserted that Opposition unity would be "a game changer" for the Indian political scenario and took a swipe at the BJP, saying those who used to talk of defeating the opposition parties alone are now making attempts to breathe new life into the NDA which had become a "ghost". Speaking ahead of a two-day opposition meet slated to be held from Monday Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has suddenly remembered the NDA.

Congress parliamentary party chief Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have left their residence for the Opposition meeting in Bengaluru.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar skipped Day 1 of a joint opposition meeting on Monday, to be held in Bengaluru. The two-day meeting is scheduled to start from Monday, and is the second such meeting that follows the mega opposition meet held in Patna on June 23. Spokesperson of the NCP's Sharad faction, however, confirmed that senior Pawar will attend the meeting on its Day 2 of the big meet. Supriya Sule will also be in attendance on Tuesday. Commenting on leaders skipping Bengaluru meet on Monday, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said although the event starts from Monday, the actual brainstorming session is scheduled for Day 2.

DK Shivakumar, the deputy CM of Karnataka, also briefed the media on Monday.

Congress general secretary KC Venugopal is addressing the media ahead of the joint opposition meeting scheduled for 6pm. He briefed the media about the agenda, objective of the meeting. The meeting will start with Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge's address on Monday.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar along with RJD chief Lalu Prasad and Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav will travel to Bengaluru on Monday for attending the second meeting of the opposition parties. Kumar will be accompanied by his party JD(U)'s national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh and state Water Resources Minister Sanjay Kumar Jha at the meeting, sources said. The leaders from Bihar are expected to leave for Bengaluru in the afternoon, they said.

On Sharad Pawar's attending the joint opposition meeting, a tweet by NCP spokesperson Mahesh Tapase read, "Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule will participate in the Opposition meeting tomorrow, 18th July..."

NCP chief Sharad Pawar will not participate in the joint opposition meeting in Bengaluru on Monday, news agency ANI quoted the spokesperson of the Sharad faction of the NCP.

"There is no question of JD(S) participating in the opposition parties meeting, but on participating in the NDA meeting, we are yet to get an official invitation from the BJP chief. We will let our stand known once we get the invitation,” JDS leader Deve Gowda has told TOI.

While JD(S), led by former PM H D Deve Gowda, has decided to skip the two day meeting of opposition parties being held in Bengaluru beginning Monday, they are yet to spell out their stance on attending the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) meeting scheduled for July 18. Although JD(S) claims that they are yet to get a formal invite to attend the NDA meet convened by BJP chief JP Nadda, party insiders said they have put forth a proposal before the BJP leadership on issues pertaining to local leadership in Karnataka and alot will depend on its outcome.

Reacting to the upcoming meeting of Opposition parties in Karnataka's Bengaluru on Monday, BJP leader and former Uttar Pradesh Minister, Siddharth Nath Singh said that the opposition is left with no agenda and is getting desperate and frustrated. "The opposition is left with no agenda as they are getting desperate and frustrated. The public will win or opposition unity will win, this will be decided in 2024," Sidharth Nath Singh said.