Congress in process to form Grand Alliance to tame BJP juggernaut: Tariq Anwar

Senior NCP leader Tariq Anwar on Sunday said that the process to form a grand alliance of opposition parties is underway at the national level to challenge the surging BJP-led NDA.

“Congress President Sonia Gandhi has already started the process of forming a grand alliance of opposition parties at the national level.... She has already held meetings with JD(U) national president Nitish Kumar and NCP chief Sharad Pawar among others on the issue,” he told reporters here.

“It is high time that all opposition parties come together on one platform to save democracy by stopping the NDA’s juggernaut,” Anwar, a Lok Sabha MP, said.

The BJP’s thumping victory in Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls as well as in MCD election in Delhi would not have been possible without division of votes of opposition parties, he said, adding the opposition needs to close ranks to form a grand alliance at the national stage to stop the BJP’s surge in national politics.

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He, however, ruled out the merger of the NCP with the Congress saying that such a proposal was “not on the table” though his party was open to joining a grand alliance against the NDA at the national stage.

On the raging debate over the triple talaq issue, Anwar accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of raising it from time to time to deflect attention from other pressing matters.

“The triple talaq issue is sub-judice and yet the PM keeps raking it up from time to time to divert attention from real issues,” the NCP leader said. On the EVM controversy, Anwar said that the Election Commission should address the concerns of parties on allegations of tampering of voting machines and hold elections by ballot till then, he said.

On the strife in Kashmir valley, Anwar called for dialogue with various stake holders to find out a political solution to the issue.