Sonia Gandhi calls on opposition parties to plan systematically for 2024 polls

Congress President Sonia Gandhi today said time has come for all opposition parties to rise above their different compulsions and "plan systematically" and unitedly for the 2024 parliamentary election against Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party.

"We all have our compulsions, but clearly, a time has come when the interests of our nation demand that we rise above them," Sonia said while virtually addressing a congregation of 15 opposition leaders including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

She said the ultimate goal is 2024 Lok Sabha polls and there must be a systematic plan to give a government which believes in values of freedom of movement and operates on principles of the Constitution.

Mamata proposed a core group of opposition leaders to decide on joint programmes and movements.

She urged opposition parties to keep aside differences and work together to defeat BJP in 2024 parliamentary polls.

Among other opposition leaders who attended today's meeting were Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray, DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar, Rashtrya Janata Dal's Tejashwi Yadav and CPI(M) Sitaram Yechury.

However, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav stayed away from the meeting while Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Mayawati and Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party's Arvind Kejriwal were not invited.