After denial, left parties to participate in Opposition's Common Minimum Programme meet today

New Delhi [India], Feb 27 (ANI): A crucial meeting of opposition parties over the Common Minimum Programme - a collective strategy to fight the BJP across the country in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, will take place on Wednesday.

The meeting is being organised in Parliament House Annexe Extension building.

Earlier, it was reported that the meeting will not see the participation of left parties, however, left parties have now decided to take part in meeting on the Common Minimum Programme issue.

In this meeting, the Opposition will discuss the strategy and agenda for upcoming general elections. It is a big challenge for Congress to maintain left parties with its agenda on the Common Minimum Programme as left parties are very clear that they cannot join hands with the Opposition on everything.

"We will support Opposition on our agenda that aims to support farmers, poor and middle-class workers of this country. We will participate in the meeting but before elections, we cannot decide to back Opposition on everything," sources from Left Parties told ANI.

It is worth mentioning that after Indian Army conducted surgical strikes across the Line of Control in Pakistani-administered Kashmir in 2016, Opposition leaders decided to keep its agenda as anti-Modi as several leaders of the Opposition termed it as "fake surgical strike".

As Indian Army Force (IAF) carried out air strikes at a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) camp in Balakot in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province on Tuesday, this is also expected that Opposition leaders will surely discuss its forthcoming impact. This discussion seems to be important as the country is praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking the most awaited action against Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), particularly after the dastardly Pulwama attack on a CRPF convoy.

On February 13, leaders of six major opposition parties including the Congress held a meeting after which it was announced that there will be a pre-poll alliance and a Common Minimum Programme (CMP) for the upcoming general elections.

The meet was attended by Congress president Rahul Gandhi, TMC chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Aam Aadmi Party Chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, NCP president Sharad Pawar, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah and others.