Sharad Pawar hosts Opposition meet in New Delhi; Rahul Gandhi says leaders agreed to have common minimum programme

New Delhi: Top Opposition leaders held a meeting on Wednesday, during which Congress president Rahul Gandhi and AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal were seen together for the first time, and decided to work together with a common minimum programme to fight against the BJP-led NDA in the Lok Sabha polls. Rahul told reporters after the meeting, hosted by NCP president Sharad Pawar at his residence, that Opposition leaders have agreed to have a common minimum programme. “We will work together to defeat the BJP,” he said. Kejriwal termed the talks constructive and said the Opposition will work together. The meeting indicates that the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party, who have been bitter rivals since the regional party came to power in Delhi in 2015, may forge a tie-up. Trinamool Congress president and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee called the meeting “fruitful” and asserted that “we will do pre-poll alliance”. Telugu Desam Party head and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu said there is a democratic compulsion to save India while Farooq Abdullah of the National Conferences termed the meeting “good”.