No talks on PM face, Opposition meet to focus on finalising common agenda

Press Trust of India

New Delhi

The upcoming Opposition meet in Patna scheduled for next week will not discuss a possible prime ministerial candidate and will focus on deciding the common agenda for the parties to work on in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections. Sources from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), which along with Bihar's ruling alliance partner Janata Dal-United (JD-U) is playing host to the meet to be held in state capital Patna, said there are no talks on the lines of picking a prime ministerial candidate.

"The meeting is the first step. A common agenda will be finalised," said an RJD leader who did not want to be named.

"Inflation and unemployment are issues which affect everyone, drawing people's attention to the fact that it is government's economic mismanagement, a result of bad decisions like demonetisation and faulty GST, is an important issue. Apart from this, communal harmony, misuse of government agencies and subversion of democracy are important issues," the source said.

The issue of caste-based census, which has found support even from BJP leaders in Bihar, is also set to be on the agenda, and the opposition parties are hopeful of garnering larger support over the issue at a national level.

 According to the sources, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar is likely to present a common minimum programme. However, there will be no talk about a prime ministerial candidate, said the source.