Congress president Sonia Gandhi to lead united Opposition charge?

New Delhi: After the much-flaunted Opposition unity took a hit following Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the last day of the Parliament session, the 16 parties are coming together once again to show that their unity is intact.

This time, however, Congress president Sonia Gandhi is herself expected to lead the charge. On December 27, the parties plan to hold a discussion on demonetisation followed by a joint press conference, which is expected to be addressed among others by Mrs Gandhi.

The 16-party conglomerate will include the SP, BSP, JD(U), JD(S) and the Left parties. All these parties had been upset when Mr Gandhi had met the PM on the morning of the last day of the winter session in order to discuss farmers’ issues, even as they were supposed to meet President Pranab Mukherjee to complain against not being allowed to speak in Parliament.

Following Mr Gandhi’s meeting with the Prime Minister, many parties which include SP, BSP, JD(U), had boycotted the march to the President's house. BSP supremo Mayawati had led the protest against Mr Gandhi's meeting the PM, arguing that it was an issue connected with Uttar Pradesh, Congress vice-president had no right to appropriate it.

Samajwadi Party, her arch-rival in Uttar Pradesh, had also supported her and had boycotted the meeting with the president. Others who did not attend the meeting with the President included the Left parties, NCP and DMK.

Sources told this newspaper that the earlier plan was to hold a joint press conference against demonetisation at the Congress headquarters itself, but later it was decided to shift it to the Constitution Club after some of the parties raised objections.

The Trinamul Congress, which has been leading the charge against demonetisation along with the Congress, will also attend the joint press conference.

Though the joint press conference to show the Opposition unity was apparently being held as an initiative of the Congress, the Trinamul supremo, Ms Mamata Banerjee has also emerged as one of the leading faces to take on the PM.

Rahul’s tirade on Modi continues
Continuing his scathing attack on the Prime Minister, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi termed demonetisation an “economic robbery” at a public meeting in Almora in the poll-bound state of Uttarakhand.

Accusing the government of letting off people like Lalit Modi, Mr Gandhi demanded the government should reveal names of people with Swiss bank accounts in Parliament. Mr Gandhi said “the government should reveal names of people who have kept black money in foreign accounts.”

Mr Gandhi  also added that the poor have been the most affected post-demonetisation, while the real black money hoarders roam free. After quoting the poet Mirza Ghalib in Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh, this time the Congress vice-president quoted Bashir Badr in the Almora public meeting.

Mr Gandhi said “people get broken in building a house, mercy does not come to you before razing colonies.” He also recited a dialogue from the Amitabh Bachchan movie Namak Halal to hit out at the Prime Minister.

Me Gandhi has been holding a string of back-to-back rallies and public meetings from Gujarat to Uttar Pradesh to Uttarak-hand and Himachal Pradesh. The high-octane campaign has seen him question the Prime Minister’s integrity when he asked whether he got pay offs from Sahara and Birla group.