The Congress is likely to set up an alliance committee to reach out to other opposition parties, and this could be discussed during the party's plenary session in Raipur.
Sources have said that the Congress wants to build up a national alliance, but with the precondition of leading it. There are many like-minded parties who have no problem with Congress being the leading party in the alliance, but leaders like Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao, Trinamool Congress with Aam Aadmi Party are taking different lines.
The Trinmaool and the TRS (Now BRS) were at one part of the UPA government at the Centre.
To overcome the hurdles it is likely that the Congress may set up an alliance committee comprising senior Congress leaders to reach out to other opposition parties.
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"Certainly, the clear deliberations will begin... certainly, the direction will come from the plenary session," said K.C. Venugopal, party General Secretary on Sunday.
He said, "Congress has already taken an initiative, you know that. During the Bharat Jodo Yatra, the party has invited maximum like-minded political parties to join that, and to have a common fight against the BJP government.
"We are very glad to say that most of the political like-minded parties joined it. Further, you people know that in the Parliament session, entire opposition joined together to fight on the issue of Adani," he said
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge called a series of meetings of like-minded opposition parties during the Parliament session and it is likely that he will continue towards this direction.
"We have already welcomed the statement of Nitish Kumarji... certainly Congress will play its role in a bigger manner. Plenary will be a platform for all of these things." he said.
The Congress on Sunday said that any alliance without it will fail, and no alliance in the opposition can be successful without the Congress. The party's plenary will discuss the alliances in states as well as for the General Election in 2024.
Addressing a press conference here, Jairam Ramesh said, "There could be no opposition alliance without Congress and any alliance without Congress will fail but in the plenary session the Congress will discuss both on the pre-poll alliance and post-poll alliance."
He said that it is false propaganda that the Congress is averse to the idea of alliance, "We are in alliance in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Bihar and in some states of northeast."
The party's 85th plenary session will be held in Chhattisgarh's Raipur from February 24 to 26.
