Congress president Sonia Gandhi has invited leaders of close to a dozen political parties to a lunch on Friday, as part of her continuing efforts to field a common candidate for the upcoming Presidential polls and to promote Opposition unity ahead of the general elections.
Those on the guest list are Lalu Prasad (Rashtriya Janata Dal), Sharad Yadav (Janata Dal-United), Akhilesh Yadav (Samajwadi Party), Mayawati (Bahujan Samaj Party), Sharad Pawar (Nationalist Congress Party), H.D. Deve Gowda (Janata Dal-Secular), Mamata Bannerjee (Trinamool Congress), Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M), Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy (CPI), Omar Abdullah (National Conference) and M.K. Stalin/Kanimozhi (DMK).
Sources in the JD(S) said former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda may not be able to make it, but a party representative will attend. Apparently, while the JD(S) is committed to Opposition unity efforts to keep the BJP at bay and will back the Opposition candidate for President, there is some hesitation in attending a lunch hosted by the Congress just a year before the State elections in Karnataka. However, Ms. Gandhi and Mr. Gowda are in touch over the telephone.
Generational change
As far as the DMK is concerned, it is not clear whether Mr. Stalin or Ms. Kanimozhi will attend.
The presence of Omar Abdullah, rather than his father Farooq Abdullah, and Akhilesh Yadav, rather than his father Mulayam Singh Yadav, also signals the start of a generational change in the Opposition: they are also both known to be close to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who too will be in attendance.
The lunch will also set the stage for DMK supremo M. Karunanidhi’s birthday celebrations on June 3, when senior Opposition leaders will be present.
Ms. Gandhi will not be attending the event in Chennai because of her delicate health.
