AAP, SP, BSP not to attend Opposition meet on COVID-19

Samajwadi Party, BSP and AAP will not join the top Opposition leaders' meet on Friday to discuss Narendra Modi government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as "inadequate" financial package and "bulldozing" of states.

Eighteen parties have confirmed their attendance at the meeting that will be chaired by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and will be attended by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, DMK chief MK Stalin and CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury.

SP, BSP and AAP have chosen to distance themselves from the meeting as they "do not find politically prudent" to attend a meeting convened by the Congress. However, National Conference has agreed to attend the meeting while JD(S) gave its green signal on Thursday.

It was not immediately clear whether Farooq Abdullah or Omar Abdullah would be attending the video conference. If they choose to do so, this would be their first high-profile political deliberation since their release from detention. The Abdullahs were in detention since August 4 last year as the Centre moved swiftly to abroagate special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate the state into two union territories.

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata would join the meeting late as she would be touring the state hit by cyclone Amphan, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also scheduled to be in Bengal on Friday. Trinamool's Rajya Sabha leader Derek O'Brien will hold the party in the meeting till Mamata joins.

During the meeting, the top leaders are expected to discuss the way ahead for the Opposition in presenting a united face while taking on the Modi government. Those attending the meeting include CPI General Secretary D Raja, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, RJD chief Tejashwi Yadav, RLD's Ajit Singh, LJD's Sharad Yadav, Hindustan Awam Morcha's Jiten Manjhi, RLSP's Upendra Kushwaha and Swabhiman Paksha's Raju Shetti among others. Leaders of AIDUF, Muslim League, Kerala Congress and RSP will also attend.

Sources said the meeting would discuss the government's COVID-19 response, states "being bulldozed" by the Centre on COVID-19 response, trampling upon the federal structure and the Rs 20,000 lakh crore financial package announced by the government, including raising the fiscal deficit limit to 5% but with conditions.

The meeting will provide the leaders a chance to analyse the political situation in the country and draw a strategy to "expose" the Modi government's "inadequate" response to Covid-19. The leaders will also be discussing the migrant workers' problem and job-loss during their meeting.

Sources said the leaders decided to meet on Friday after taking into consideration that the West Bengal administration would be busy in handling the super cyclone situation on Wednesday and the death anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi falls on Thursday.