Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai)

Even people back grand alliance for 2019 polls: Rahul

- HT Correspond­ent

MUMBAI/NANDED:NOT just political parties but even people want the formation of a ‘mahagathba­ndhan’ (grand alliance) against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamseva­k Sangh (RSS) during the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said during a press conference­s, truncated to a ‘byte’, at MCA Club in Bandra-kurla Complex on Wednesday.

“The PM and the BJP have been constantly attacking the Constituti­on and the country’s institutio­ns. The Congress will act against it,” he said.

The media was called for a press conference at 8.30am , but it lasted just two-and-a-half minutes. Gandhi arrived around 45 minutes late, took only one question — about the prime ministeria­l candidate of the alliance — and dodged it.

The city Congress later said there had been a “misunderst­anding” about the conference. “It was not a press conference... We invited the media for a byte with our leader,” Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam said. However, the message sent by his office had invited journalist­s for an interactio­n with Gandhi.

EX-JUDGE JOINS CONG

Former Bombay high court judge Abhay Thipsay joined the Congress in the presence of Gandhi. Thipsay said his role in the party has not been defined yet, and that he is not interested in electoral politics. He said he had joined the Congress to fight against fascist forces.

››RELATED REPORTS, P7

 ?? SATYABRATA TRIPATHY/HT ?? Congress president Rahul Gandhi interacts with the media at Bandrakurl­a Complex on Wednesday.
SATYABRATA TRIPATHY/HT Congress president Rahul Gandhi interacts with the media at Bandrakurl­a Complex on Wednesday.

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