Law Kumar Mishra
Patna, June 23
Seventeen opposition parties on Friday resolved to fight the 2024 Lok Sabha elections unitedly to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The parties decided to work with flexibility by setting aside their differences. Addressing a joint press conference after an almost four-hour-long meeting, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said the leaders will meet in the next few days to give final shape to their plan of fighting together.
“We had a good meeting and several leaders expressed their views during the meeting. 17 parties have decided to work together and contest the Lok Sabha elections unitedly,” Kumar told reporters. The Bihar Chief Minister, who hosted the first such meeting, said they were working in the national interest and accused the BJP of acting against the national interest as it was trying to change the country’s history.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Chief Arvind Kejriwal and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK head MK Stalin were absent from the joint press conference. Kumar claimed they left because they had to rush to their flights back.
According to sources, the AAP played spoilsport in the exercise and reportedly said it would not be part of any future Opposition gatherings until the Congress publicly opposes the Centre’s contentious ordinance taking away the Delhi government’s control of administrative services. There were sharp exchanges between Congress and the AAP during the meeting, sources added.
AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal sought the grand old party’s stand on the Ordinance issue, while Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge raised the AAP Chief Spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar’s allegation that the Congress was not taking a stand because of a deal with the BJP.
Kharge announced that the next meeting of opposition leaders would be held in Shimla in Himachal Pradesh next month. “We have decided to prepare a common agenda and will take decisions in the next meeting on how to move forward,” he said, adding that they will have to evolve separate plans for every state and work together to dethrone the BJP at the Centre.
Kumar said details of seat sharing and party-wise split would be finalised in the Shimla meeting to be held on July 10 to 12.
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee said the first meet was organised in Patna as “Whatever starts from Patna, takes the shape of the public movement.” She was literally referring to the JP movement.
Mamata also spoke about the 1:1 formula to fight the Lok Sabha polls. “We are here to fight against the BJP together. We are looking at a 1:1 formula to fight the Lok Sabha polls. Whatever policy we decide from this meeting will be applicable to every party,” she said. “If this dictatorial government returns this time, there will be no elections in future,” Mamata Banerjee added at a press conference.
The prominent leaders who attended the meeting include Nitish Kumar (JDU), Mamata Banerjee (AITC), MK Stalin (DMK), Mallikarjun Kharge (INC), Rahul Gandhi (INC), Arvind Kejriwal (AAP), Hemant Soren (JMM), Uddhav Thackeray (SS-UBT), Sharad Pawar (NCP), Lalu Prasad Yadav (RJD), Bhagwant Mann (AAP), Akhilesh Yadav (SP), Sitaram Yechury (CPIM), Omar Abdullah (NC), TR Baalu (DMK), Mehbooba Mufti (PDP), Dipankar Bhattacharya (CPIML), Tejashwi Yadav (RJD), KC Venugopal (INC), Abhishek Banerjee (AITC), Derek O’Brien (AITC), Aaditya Thackeray (SS-UBT), D Raja (CPI), Supriya Sule (NCP), Manoj Jha (RJD), Firhad Hakim (AITC), Praful Patel (NCP), Raghav Chaddha (AAP), Sanjay Singh (AAP), Sanjay Raut (SS-UBT), Lalan Singh (JDU) and Sanjay Jha (RJD).
