Ahead of a meeting of top opposition party leaders, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said they would fight together “like a family” to take on the NDA “one on one”.
A meeting will be held here on Friday to evolve a strategy to form an anti-BJP front for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
According to sources, the opposition parties would prefer to focus on finding common ground rather than the contentious leadership issue for now. It is estimated that representatives of 15 parties, including half a dozen chief ministers, will participate in the discussion.
A day before the crucial discussion, sources in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said the party would walk out of the meeting if the Congress did not promise support against the Centre’s ordinance on deregulation of administrative services in Delhi. This came to the fore when a split emerged in the opposition camp.
In addition, the Samajwadi Party will be the only party from Uttar Pradesh at the convention; BSP supremo Mayawati was not invited, and Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Chowdhary had planned not to attend due to a family function.
Leaders who are expected to attend the first high-level opposition meeting include Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul GandhiWest Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee (TMC), Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann (AAP), Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin (DMK), Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren (JMM), Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav
It will be held at the residence of the Chief Minister of Bihar at 1, Anne Marg Nitish Kumar (JDU) and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav (RJD).
Leaders of National Conference, PDP, CPI(M), CPI and CPI(ML) are also expected to attend the meeting.
Mamta met Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi and Tejashwi
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Yadav, former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav at the venue.
Mamta told reporters outside Tejashwi Yadav’s house, “I cannot say anything now. We have come here because we will fight together, face to face (against the BJP). We will fight together as a collective family.”
The TMC chief, on the other hand, refused to answer questions about his objections about the Congress party’s alliance with the Left in his state and the Aam Aadmi Party’s threat of a “walkout” if the Congress did not support the Delhi ordinance. done. Late night CM Kumar met Banerjee.
He said that the BJP has to be defeated in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections to save the country from disaster and expressed hope that the meeting of the opposition would be constructive. He told reporters in Kolkata before leaving for Patna.
Mann and Kejriwal also reached Patna on Thursday evening, where they visited the Patna Sahib Gurdwara.
Tamil Nadu CM Stalin, CPI chief D Raja, CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya and PDP chief on Thursday Mehbooba Mufti Reached Patna.
According to sources, the meeting was being seen as the starting point for the opposition to unite against the Narendra Modi-led BJP administration.
As a result, while a fundamental plan and road map for opposition unity is likely to be discussed, contentious issues of seat-sharing and the leadership issue will be put on hold for the time being, he said.
A senior opposition leader said on condition of anonymity, “This is just the beginning. The meeting of minds is important. Strategy, leadership questions and seat-sharing are unlikely to be discussed at this stage.”
The leader said that at the top of the agenda would be the issues that the opposition and the BJP would jointly raise to corner the BJP. In this context, there is a possibility of discussion on the Manipur violence and the alleged failure of the Center in Manipur.
All eyes are on the agenda of the meeting and whether AAP’s desire for the Centre’s ordinance on control of administrative services in the national capital will play a significant role in the discussions.
The Congress has been clueless about its position on whether it will support the AAP if the ordinance is examined in Parliament by the BJP-led Centre.
Kejriwal had on Tuesday expressed confidence that the Congress would clear its stand on the Centre’s ordinance in its June 23 meeting.
West Bengal: Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary protests in Murshidabad
Also, there is tension between Congress and TMC during the meeting. Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury staged a sit-in outside a block office in Bengal’s Murshidabad district, demanding action against Trinamool Congress workers who allegedly attacked Congress workers ahead of the state’s panchayat elections.
The opposition has been the target of attacks from the BJP because of divisions within its ranks and a leadership debate over who would represent them as prime minister.
Bihar Congress chief Akhilesh Prasad Singh hit back at BJP’s criticism, saying the question of who will be the prime ministerial face of the opposition alliance is irrelevant as the leadership issue can be addressed collectively after the BJP’s defeat in the elections . 2024.
Singh also said that when the opposition parties come together to contest the general elections next year, the BJP will lose less than 100 seats.
D Raja appreciates meeting of opposition leaders
The meeting of opposition leaders in Patna was described by CPI general secretary D Raja as a step forward “in the right direction”.
Raja told PTI-language, “This meeting is happening immediately after the Karnataka elections. Elections are coming in many states and Lok Sabha elections are to be held in 2024. This (meeting) will give clarity.
He asserted that the BJP is getting “nervous and desperate” as a result of the coming together of secular democratic parties, which in itself is a very positive message.
Raja said that secular democratic parties should cooperate with the primary goal of defeating the BJP, expressing confidence that the anti-BJP alliance could win in 2024.
“It is not just about winning seats and forming the government. It is also about protecting democracy, the Constitution, the secular fabric of the country and even the sovereign independence of Parliament,” he said.
“When elections are held, the electoral strategy and seat-sharing will be discussed at the state level. It will be based on the balance of political forces. There, I think, secular democratic parties should be more rational and mutually accommodating.” CPI leader said.
This meeting is also taking place at a time when the ruling coalition in Patna is changing. Former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, one of the allies of the “Mahagathbandhan”, quit the alliance and joined the NDA.
Mayawati said the meeting was more about shaking hands than hearts, specifically referring to the parties that are scheduled to participate in the opposition convention.
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