Anti-Modi Group meet LIVE Updates: 'India needs alternate vision,' says Rashtra Manch

After the meeting, the Rashtra Manch netas also pointed out that the Congress party was not 'kept away' from the meeting. Addressing the media, NCP MP Majeed Menon said, "There is no political exclusion. We have invited the leaders who subscribe to the ideology of Rashtra Manch in which leaders of all political parties could come. There is no political discrimination. I personally invited Congress members."

After the meeting, ex-JD(U) MP Pawan Verma also addressed the media and said," It was a meeting to probe the possibilities, to probe the opportunities before the country and the people in respect to democracy, in respect to secularism, in respect to civil liberties, and to redress people's grievances like price rise, like an attack on the right to protest." He added that for all the above-mentioned issues, a formation of a broad platform was being pondered upon. 

SP spokesperson Ghanshyam Tiwari, who was briefing the media about the meeting, said, "The Rashtra Manch is open to all. The concerns of all Indians will be addressed and in this way, we will help to build a strong India."

Pointing out that it was the first meeting of 'Rashtra Manch', SP spokesperson Ghanshyam Tiwari asserted that in the 2.5 hours the idea that the nation needs an 'alternate vision' was pondered upon. He added that a team will be formed that will give a strengthened vision to the country on the 'latest burning issues'.

After the meeting, the 'Rashtra Mantra' netas came forward to address the media. NCP MP Majeed Memon began by clarifying that 'the meeting wasn't called to form anti BJP front'. He further said that the meeting took place at Sharad Pawar's residence but it was called by Yashwant Sinha. 

Now that the emergence of the third front is being speculated, let us have a look at the performance of the opposition parties against PM Modi-led BJP government in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The primary opposition parties present in the meeting today are- NCP, AAP, TMC, RJD, CPI, NC, and they were together able to win 36 seats and had a vote share of 9.9 percent as against BJP which alone won 303 seats with 37.7 percent vote share. 

Former MP Nilopal Basu has left the 'Rashtra Manch' meeting. Addressing the media, he said, "It was just a normal interaction of political parties, a discussion between like-minded people." Pointing out that various issues facing the country were discussed, including COVID, he added, "There was no discussion about 2024, do not connect the meeting with politics."

While the 'Rashtra Manch' meeting is still underway, after which the emergence of a new front seems likely, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale has said that no matter how many fronts are formed against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he will remain 'number one'.

"No matter how many fronts are being formed, it does not matter. And even if it is formed, then Congress will do the work of harming its party. Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji's leadership is very strong, even today he is the number one," said Athawale.

Several prominent leaders and personalities such as Yashwant Sinha, ex-JD(U) MP Pawan Verma, AAP MP Sanjay Singh, CPI general secretary D Raja, NC president Farooq Abdullah, Justice (retd.) AP Singh, poet Javed Akhtar, senior advocate KTS Tulsi, journalists Karan Thapar, NCP MP Majeed Memon, NCP MP Vandana Chavan MP, ex-Chief Election Commissioner SY Qureshi, suspended Congress leader Sanjay Jha, Sudheendra Kulkarni, economist Arun Kumar, SP spokesperson Ghanshyam Tiwari, ex-MPs Pritish Nandy, and Nilopal Basu and RLD leader Jayant Choudhary are present in the meeting. 

In a clip of the meeting that has come forward, NCP MP Majeed Memon can be seen addressing the leaders of the opposition. Expressing gratitude to Sharad Pawar for organizing the meeting, he said that 'the time has come' that the opposition should do something about the 'challenges' being faced by the country.

Listing down some of the 'challenges like unemployment, poverty, vaccination problem, petrol-diesel prices, he pointed out that there is an 'erosion of constitutional institutions', which they need to fight. 

NCP supremo Sharad Pawar called for a meeting with Opposition leaders at his residence in Delhi on June 22. In the meeting, which is presently underway, the Opposition parties are reportedly chalking out an action plan to defeat the BJP which has seen two consecutive terms in the Lok Sabha Elections. 

This development comes weeks after the NCP supremo held a 3-hour long meeting with poll strategist Prashant Kishor.  Notably, Prashant Kishor had advised several leaders of the Opposition including many sitting chief ministers such as Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal, Capt. Amarinder Singh, MK Stalin, Jagan Mohan Reddy, and other political rivals of PM Modi over the course of assembly elections in their respective states. After the meeting of Pawar and Kishor, NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik had revealed that Sharad Pawar was working towards uniting the Opposition to build a grand front to counter BJP's popularity. "Pawar Sahab wants to unite Opposition parties. Efforts will be made towards this objective in the coming days." Nawab Malik said.

However, Prashant Kishor has cleared the air saying that the formation of the third and the fourth fronts against BJP is a 'futile exercise', and added that he has had no such discussion with Pawar. 

Bharatiya Janata Party reacts to the 'Rashtra Manch' meeting. Speaking to the media, party leader Meenakshi Lekhi said, "Such meetings are held by leaders who've repeatedly been rejected by the public. This is not new. There're some companies that make a profit out of polls. They'll obviously try to project every other leader as the next PM. No one can be stopped from daydreaming."

Here are the first few pictures of the 'Rashtra Manch' netas from the meeting at Sharad Pawar's residence.