25 September,2023 05:24 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Prakash Ambedkar. Pic/ X
Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar on Monday claimed that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge hasn't replied to his letter about his party's participation in the I-N-D-I-A alliance, reported the PTI.
Addressing a press conference at the party's office in Mumbai, Prakash Ambedkar said that the Congress had made many statements that they hadn't received any proposals from the VBA about its participation in the I-N-D-I-A alliance, and hence, he wrote the letter on September 1, according to the PTI.
The news agency reported, Prakash Ambedkar said that the letter was hand delivered, emailed, and posted on the Congress's website, he said.
In the letter, the VBA has sought to talk to Kharge about the terms and conditions for participation in the I-N-D-I-A alliance, Ambedkar said.
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Though the VBA has decided to wait for the Congress' invitation till the last day, it has also started preparing for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he said.
Ambedkar said the VBA has started preparations to contest from all 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, and soon he and his colleagues will start touring the state.
The party will hold the first rally in Latur, followed by Beed, Satara, and Satana (Nashik), he said.
He further claimed that no meetings have been held among the MVA constituents the Congress, NCP, and the Shiv Sena (UBT) for the last one and a half years and there have been no discussions about seat sharing among them.
If one party organises a meeting, another remains absent. This is a situation of disagreement, he said.
Meanwhile, earlier this month, the Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (I-N-D-I-A), a coalition of opposition parties had held its third meeting in Mumbai. A total of 63 representatives from 28 political parties were present to make important decisions and finalize an action plan to challenge the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The first meeting of the joint opposition was convened in Patna, Bihar, on June 23, followed by the second meeting in Bengaluru, Karnataka, on July 17-18. This Mumbai meeting underscores the alliance's determination to present a formidable challenge to the BJP in the upcoming elections.
(with PTI inputs)
