Opposition parties in India on Friday pledged to “unite” to fight against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the upcoming national elections.
The polls to elect the country’s next government are expected to be held in March and April next year, as Mr Modi completes his second term in office in May.
Representatives of as many as 17 opposition parties on Friday met in Patna city in the eastern state of Bihar to deliberate on a roadmap and launch a joint fight against the government.
The opposition parties accuse Mr Modi’s government of damaging India’s secular credentials by resorting to religious and divisive politics, crushing dissent and targeting political opponents.
Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister of Bihar and leader of the Janata Dal (United) party, hosted the meeting.
It was attended by veteran leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav and MK Stalin from the main opposition Indian National Congress party.
“Protecting the constitution and democracy is our sole responsibility. Our meeting is to give a new direction to the country,” Mr Kharge said.
Ms Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal, said: “We are united. We will fight unitedly. Don't call us opposition, we are also citizens of this country.
"We will fight together against the political vendetta of the BJP. Let our blood flow, but we will protect the people and the country. Next meeting will be held in Shimla."
Some of the parties share historical rivalries, but the INC's Rahul Gandhi said the parties were banding together to protect their common interest in uniting the country.
“It is a battle of ideologies. Indeed, there will be differences amongst us, but we have decided to work together and protect the ideologies shared by us," Mr Gandhi said.
The leaders will gather again in Shimla in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh in August to prepare an “agenda to move ahead together in respective states to fight against the BJP”, Mr Kharge said.
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Launched: October 2019
Employees: 50
Financing stage: Seed round (raised $2 million)
Managing the separation process
- Choose your nursery carefully in the first place
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- Inform the staff in advance of your child’s likes and dislikes.
- If you need some extra time to talk to the teachers, make an appointment a few days in advance, rather than attempting to chat on your child’s first day
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Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
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Fixtures
Opening day Premier League fixtures for August 9-11
August 9
Liverpool v Norwich 11pm
August 10
West Ham v Man City 3.30pm
Bournemouth v Sheffield Utd 6pm
Burnley v Southampton 6pm
C Palace v Everton 6pm
Leicester v Wolves 6pm
Watford v Brighton 6pm
Tottenham v Aston Villa 8.30pm
August 11
Newcastle v Arsenal 5pm
Man United v Chelsea 7.30pm
All or Nothing
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
Company%20profile
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Normal People
Sally Rooney, Faber & Faber
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Company%20profile
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
