On 17 August, Nana Patole, President of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) said that the upcoming meeting of the INDIA opposition bloc seeks to dethrone the Narendra Modi government from the Centre. This meeting is scheduled to be held in Mumbai on 31 August and 1 September.
The Congress leader claimed that the meeting would “give a new direction to the country”. He said, “INDIA alliance meeting will be held in Mumbai on August 31 and September 1. We held a meeting today at Matoshree to organise it successfully and decided on the agenda for it. It would give a new direction to the country. The aim of the (INDIA) meeting is to oust the Modi government from the centre.”
Earlier on Wednesday, the party held a meeting to review preparations for the crucial INDIA bloc meeting, which is the third in the line after the first two in Patna and Bengaluru.
Patole also spoke on speculations over Sharad Pawar joining the Bhartiya Janata Party, after a meeting was conducted between the Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and NCP president in Pune. He said, “Sharad Pawar is a big leader, he is capable of taking decisions for his party. He, meanwhile, has made his stand clear on the meeting between Ajit and him last week.”