Kapil Sibal refused a chance to join the Samajwadi Party after he quit the Congress (File)
Congress leaders at the mega opposition meeting in Mumbai - the INDIA conclave - were miffed after ex-leader Kapil Sibal's unexpected entry, sources told NDTV Friday morning. Mr Sibal, who quit the party last year because he wanted to "not hang on coattails of any party", was not an official invitee and his presence has upset ex-colleagues, sources added.
Senior Congress leader KC Venugopal has complained about Mr Sibal's presence to ex-Maharashtra minister Uddhav Thackeray before a photo op of opposition leaders. Mr Thackeray's Shiv Sena UBT is hosting the INDIA bloc meeting.
Other senior leaders - National Conference boss Farooq Abdullah and the Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav tried to intervene, persuading Mr Venugopal to accept Mr Sibal's presence at a meeting that aims at uniting all opposition politicians ahead of next year's election. Significantly, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said he had no objection, sources told NDTV.
Eventually, Mr Sibal - who is now an independent Rajya Sabha MP - was also made part of the photo op.
A 20-second video shared by news agency PTI on X (formerly Twitter) showed Nationalist Congress Party Working President Supriya Sule warmly welcoming Mr Sibal - while a voice off-camera shouts for "security".
The video also shows Mr Thackeray and Shiv Sena UBT troubleshooter Sanjay Raut talking earnestly to a man who seems to be Mr Venugopal. Mr Raut is deep in conversation and points occasionally to Mr Sibal (now off-camera).
In other visuals from the meeting, Mr Sibal is also seen talking to Punjab Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Bhagwant Mann.
Key Decisions Likely At INDIA Bloc Meet
Following meetings in Patna and Bengaluru, the (now) 28-party INDIA group began its three-day meet in Mumbai this week, where they are expected to work out a plan to combat Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party.
READ | Key Decisions Likely At INDIA Bloc's 3rd Meet In Mumbai Today: 10 Facts
Among other key decisions that may be announced are the logo of the new grouping, appointment of spokespersons, and sub-groups to handle various departments. There has also been talk of a Common Minimum Programme and speculation over who might be the prime ministerial face of the alliance.
Flashback: When Kapil Sibal Quit Congress
Mr Sibal, a former union minister, quit the Congress on May 16 last year, a day after the party's "Chintan Shivir", or brainstorming meet, to discuss revival efforts following crushing election defeats and a series of internal crises.
The latter included concerns raised by Mr Sibal as part of the "G-23", or group of 23 dissenters who had called for sweeping changes in the Congress. In the months leading to his exit, Mr Sibal said "the leadership (the Gandhis) is in cuckooland".
READ | "Everyone Has To Think About Themselves": Kapil Sibal On Quitting Congress
"It is always difficult when you are with a party for so long and wedded to its ideology. Every person has to think for himself... time for him to do something different." he told NDTV then.