A joint meeting of opposition leaders in Parliament Monday morning - called by the Congress after Rahul Gandhi's controversial disqualification from the Lok Sabha - had two surprise attendees - Prasun Banerjee and Jawhar Sircar of the Trinamool, which has remained largely aloof from Congress-led attempts to unite the opposition and challenge the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party
ओम धगाल - पूर्व प्रदेश कार्यकारिणी सदस्य भाजपा युवा मोर्चा
ओम धगाल की और से हिंडोली विधानसभा क्षेत्र एवं बूंदी जिले वासियों को रौशनी के त्यौहार दीपावली की हार्दिक बधाई व शुभकामनाएं
Visuals shared by news agency ANI showed the leaders in Kharge's office, with the Congress' representatives wearing black shirts as a mark of protest against Rahul Gandhi's disqualification.
The Trinamool's presence at this meeting has raised eyebrows, particularly since Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has maintained her distance from the Congress despite widespread calls for the opposition to unite to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
Their presence was noted by Congress boss Mallikarjun Kharge, who said his party 'welcome(s) anyone who comes forward to protect democracy and (the) Constitution, (and to) safeguard the people'. "I thank everyone who supported this… I thanked everyone yesterday and thank them today as well," Kharge, also the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, told reporters
