Upset With Rahul Gandhi Meeting PM Narendra Modi, Some Parties Pull Out Of Protest

Rahul Gandhi's meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi this morning has dealt a big blow to the carefully crafted opposition unity that held fast through the winter session of Parliament, just ahead of a Congress-led march today to presidential palace Rashtrapati Bhavan in protest against the notes ban.

The Left parties, the Samajwadi Party, Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party, the Nationalist Congress Party headed by Sharad Pawar and the DMK in quick succession dropped out of the protest march to meet the President, minutes before it was to begin from the Gandhi statue in the parliament premises.

They are upset that the Congress Vice-President sought a meeting with the Prime Minister without involving the other opposition parties. At the meeting, Mr Gandhi, who was accompanied by senior leaders of his party, raised with the Prime Minister the plight of farmers who he met during a tour of Uttar Pradesh while campaigning in the state, where elections will be held soon.

"Are we not concerned about the plight of farmers?" asked a leader of the BSP, which is a major player in the Uttar Pradesh elections, as is the Samajwadi Party, which rules the state and is seeking another term.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi



led a considerably whittled down opposition delegation to meet the President and not the 15 that have together attacked the government over its decision to ban 500 and 1,000 rupee notes and its impact on the people, disrupting the entire winter session, which ends today.

Among those who marched with the Congress are Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress and the party's Bihar allies Janata Dal (United) and the RJD.

The Left and the others were firmly behind Rahul Gandhi when he declared two days ago that he has information on the "personal corruption" of PM Modi, a claim dismissed by the BJP as "the joke of the year."

The ruling party has dared Mr Gandhi to make the information he claims he has public, with leader after BJP leader attacking the Congress Vice-President over his comments.

But in an address today to BJP lawmakers, PM Modi made no mention of Mr Gandhi's attack, though he hit out at the Congress, accusing it of putting party above nation.

At his meeting with Mr Gandhi, the Prime Minister said, "We should always meet like this." Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge responded by saying, "Even if our hearts don't meet, we can at least cooperate and shake hands.