Wrote to Congress about participating in INDIA alliance, didn’t get a reply, says VBA chief Prakash Ambedkar

VBA chief Prakash Ambedkar on Monday claimed that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge hasn't replied to his letter about his party's participation in the INDIA alliance.

Mumbai: Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar on Monday claimed that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge hasn’t replied to his letter about his party’s participation in the INDIA alliance.

Addressing a press conference at the party’s office here, Ambedkar said the Congress had made many statements that they hadn’t received any proposals from the VBA about its participation in the INDIA alliance, and hence, he wrote the letter on September 1.

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The letter was hand delivered, emailed, and posted on the Congress’s website, he said.

In the letter, the VBA has sought to talk to Kharge about the terms and conditions for participation in the INDIA alliance, Ambedkar said.

Though the VBA has decided to wait for the Congress’ invitation till the last day, it has also started preparing for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he said.

Ambedkar said the VBA has started preparations to contest from all 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, and soon he and his colleagues will start touring the state.

The party will hold the first rally in Latur, followed by Beed, Satara, and Satana (Nashik), he said.

He further claimed that no meetings have been held among the MVA constituents — the Congress, NCP, and the Shiv Sena (UBT) — for the last one and a half years and there have been no discussions about seat sharing among them.

If one party organises a meeting, another remains absent. This is a “situation of disagreement”, he said.