Senior Opposition leaders met here on Monday to discuss the slide in the economy as well as the ongoing Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations in Bangkok and the agreement’s implications for India. The timing of the meeting coincided with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s participation in the Summit.
There was no representation from the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Aam Aadmi Party in the meeting was convened by Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha.
After the meeting, Azad said that the Opposition will hold a joint protest on issues such as economic slowdown, RCEP, farm distress and unemployment during the upcoming Parliament session. He also said Opposition parties will meet again soon to discuss the issue of snooping and decide on the future course of action on the issue.
According to sources, discussions focussed on the joint opposition’s strategy to corner the Government on poor economic indicators and India’s decision to consider signing the RCEP. The leaders at the meeting were deliberating on a strategy to take on the Government both inside and outside Parliament.
The Congress leader said Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government dealing with RCEP is like a “compounder operating on a patient” in absence of a registered Doctor. Criticising the government, Azad said that both RCEP and GST were the schemes coined by the Congress and were in progress but the Modi Government implemented it badly in haste. “The Free Trade Agreement and RCEP, we were not against it, in fact, it started in our time. The doctor had given the dates to the patient for operation and meanwhile, the doctor got transferred and compounder operated on patient,” said Azad.
“The interest of our country should have been protected. Our Milk products, agricultural products, marine products etc should all have been protected. We have a trade deficit of US Dollar 70 Billion with China. China is dumping its products in world markets after RCEP several products of China would be dumped in Indian markets. Will China allow access to our products in its markets? There is no discussion on this issue,” said Azad.
Ahmed Patel and Randeep Surjewala of the Congress were present in the meeting which which also saw the presence of RLSP chief and former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha CPI general secretary D Raja, CPI(M)’s T K Rangarajan, RJD leader Manoj Jha, TMC’s Nadeem ul Haque, DMK’s T R Baalu, and Sharad Yadav. Congress president Sonia Gandhi and NCP leader Sharad Pawar were not present at the meeting. Sources close to Pawar said he was busy in a parliamentary standing committee meeting. The Congress plans to hit the streets from Tuesday till November 15 to highlight the “failures” of the BJP Government at the Centre on issues such as “economic slowdown, rising unemployment and farm crisis”.
Slamming the RCEP, Sonia Gandhi said on Saturday the agreement will deal a “body blow” to the economy, resulting in “untold hardship” for farmers, shopkeepers and small enterprises.