Oppn unites against Modi, to present common minimum agenda for 2019 polls

Opposition leaders entrusted Congress President Rahul Gandhi with preparing a draft common agenda and consulting with other parties for the final text

Opposition leaders on Wednesday said they would present a common minimum agenda to the people of India before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, adding that they would form pre-poll alliances wherever possible and meet at least once every two weeks in the run-up to the polls.
 

After a protest meeting at Jantar Mantar, Opposition leaders met at Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar's residence. They entrusted Congress President Rahul Gandhi with preparing a draft common agenda, or common minimum programme, and consulting with other Opposition parties for the final text. 
 

The common agenda will be the Opposition's commitment to the people for the 2019 polls. As for alliances, no decision was taken in either West Bengal or Delhi. In both the states, the Congress local units do not want alliances with the Trinamool Congress and Aam Aadmi Party, respectively.

Apart from Pawar and Gandhi, the meeting was also attended by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah.
 

Banerjee said the Opposition was committed to saving democracy and the battle cry was to remove Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah. She added that the Opposition would fight for a people's government.

Meanwhile, Gandhi said that the Modi government was destroying institutions.