NEW DELHI: Congress along with other opposition parties have decided to support the no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government that N Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP is planning to bring in Lok Sabha duing the Monsoon Session starting Wednesday.

The opposition parties attended a meeting hosted by Congress here on Monday, to plan a joint strategy for the upcoming session.

A similar move during the Budget Session could not be taken up due to disruptions.

In March, during the last leg of the budget session, much after TDP and YSRCP, Congress moved its own no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha, instead of supporting the motion brought in by any other party. But with the Opposition parties coordinating for a greater cohesion against the ruling BJP, Congress has also decided to join the other parties in supporting TDP’s move.

Andhra Pradesh chief minister and TDP chief Naidu has revived his party’s demand for a no-confidence motion and wrote a letter to seek support of non-BJP and non-Congress parties. The motion against the NDA government is being contemplated over non-fulfilment of promise to grant special status to the state.

At Monday’s meeting, the thirteen parties that attended decided to take on the government on several “pro-people” issues. The issues that were listed by the attending parties were “growing atrocities against women, Dalits and tribals,” the issue of “fake news and mob lynching ,” hate crimes, retail inflation, OBC reservation in higher education, MSP and 'farmers distress,' rupee devaluation, disinvestment of PSUs including LIC bailing out IDBI bank and “Swiss banks to Ahmedabad Cooperative Bank issue,” to hit out at the government as well as on ruling BJP, said sources. “The Ahmedabad cooperative bank issue has to do with BJP chief Amit Shah directly,” the sources added.

With Lok Sabha elections coming up in less than a year and assembly elections in four states slated for the end of 2018, the Opposition parties also decided on Monday to jointly take up the issue of “EVMs and ballot boxes” at a separate meeting later only on the specific issue so that it can be discussed in detail.

Leaders of Congress, NCP, TMC, BSP, SP, RJD, DMK, CPM, CPI, JD(S), RSP, IUML, and KC-M were among those who attended the meeting.

In his letter to non-BJP, non-Congress parties, Naidu said, “I wish to bring to your notice the grave injustice caused to Andhra Pradesh due to inconsistencies in the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014 and non-implementation of the assurances made by the then Prime Minister on the floor of Rajya Sabha on February 20, 2014.” The TDP chief has alleged progress in implementing the six assurances made in the APR Act is “poor.” Six out of the eight infrastructure projects included in Schedule 13 of the Act “remain non-starters even after four years,” Naidu wrote in the letter.

