For the first time, BJP sensed its isolation against the Opposition’s strong onslaught against Amit Shah’s comments on Ambedkar in Rajya Sabha and seeking its NDA allies support to counter INDIA bloc nation-wide campaign seeking Amit Shah’s resignation.
On the occasion of former prime minister Atal Bihar Vajpayee’s 100th birth anniversary, top BJP leadership met with alliance leaders on Wednesday at BJP chief JP Jadda’s residence to discuss the strategy.
The meeting comes a day ahead of the extended Congress Working Committee meeting in Belgaum, where the main opposition party is set to mount a fresh offensive against the BJP on the Ambedkar row and issues like the caste census.
Sources said the main topics were the opposition onslaught against the BJP over Shah’s remarks, the caste census, and social justice politics. Amit Shah is learnt to have explained the leaders on how the opposition leaders are creating false narratives on his speech in the Upper House.
TDP chief and AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu was also present in the meeting. It was decided in the meeting that the NDA will have to counter the Opposition narrative unitedly. However, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde were absent from the meeting.
The JD(U) was represented by Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh and the Shiva Sena by Union MoS Prataprao Ganpatrao Jadhav. Also in attendance were Union Minister and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy, Civil Aviation Minister, TDP leader K Rammohan Naidu, and Union Ministers Anupriya Patel, Jitan Ram Manjhi and Sanjay Nishad.
Sources said Shah spoke at length about recent political developments, including what transpired during the Winter Session of Parliament and the learning from it. He told the leaders that the Congress has never respected Ambedkar but is now trying to create a narrative in its favour, which should be countered forcefully and unitedly.
In the evening, Chandrababu Naidu is meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman separately.