Sonia Gandhi calls meeting of Congress CMs on June 9 to discuss strategy to counter Modi govt

New Delhi: Congress chief Sonia Gandhi has convened a meeting of chief ministers of those states where the party is in power on June 9 to chalk out a political strategy to counter the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre.

According to reports, this is the first meeting of Congress chief ministers after the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) lost power in 2014.

Senior Congress leaders, general secretaries and top functionaries are likely to attend the meeting, which will be chaired by Sonia Gandhi.

Though the agenda for the meeting is still being prepared, it is believed that the discussions will revolve around issues that will be built as political campaign against the BJP government.

During the meeting, the party is also likely to discuss the Centre's controversial Land Acquisition Bill and chalk out a strategy to reach out to all sections of the society in a bid to scuttle the move.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi met with a group of civil society activists including Green Peace activist Priya Pillai, who wasn't allowed by the NDA government to visit United Kingdom earlier this year.

Pillai was supposed to address a group of British lawmakers on environment violations at the Mahan coal block in Madhya Pradesh, a BJP ruled state. NDA government had claimed that Pillai's statements would harm India's image abroad.

Congress party seems to be desperately trying to reconnect with groups who had deserted them in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

So far Rahul Gandhi has focussed on farmers, as he travelled across Telangana, Maharashtra and Punjab to meet families of farmers who had committed suicide because of crop losses.