15 political parties attend mega Opposition meet in Patna to form anti-BJP front

Top leaders of Opposition parties held deliberations in Patna on Friday to chalk out a roadmap for the formation of an anti-BJP front for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

The assembly was hosted by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of the JD(U) and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav of the RJD. As the host, Kumar presided over the assembly flanked on both facet by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad.

Sources mentioned greater than 30 leaders of 15 Opposition parties participated in the assembly on the Bihar chief minister’s 1, Aney Marg, residence right here.

The assembly was being seen as a place to begin for the Opposition parties to come collectively to tackle the Narendra Modi-led BJP, the sources mentioned.

Therefore, a primary define and roadmap for Opposition unity are probably to be deliberated upon with the contentious problem of seat sharing and management questions to be prevented for now, they mentioned.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, social gathering chief Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee (TMC), her Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab’s Bhagwant Mann (AAP), Tamil Nadu’s M Ok Stalin (DMK), Jharkhand’s Hemant Soren (JMM), Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav, Maharashtra’s former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray (Shiv Sena-UBT), and NCP president Sharad Pawar are among the many leaders attending the primary high-level Opposition assembly.

Leaders of the PDP, CPI(M), CPI, CPI(ML) and the National Conference have been additionally current on the assembly.

Sharing visuals from the assembly, Kharge, in a tweet in Hindi, mentioned, “Protecting the Constitution and democracy is our sole responsibility. Our meeting to give a new direction to the country.”

A day earlier than the essential deliberations, fissures in the Opposition ranks got here to the fore with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sources saying the social gathering will stroll out of the assembly if the Congress doesn’t promise its assist towards the Centre’s ordinance on the management of administrative providers in Delhi.

All eyes are on the assembly’s agenda and whether or not the Centre’s ordinance on the management of administrative providers in the nationwide capital could be a key a part of the discussions because the AAP needs.

Keeping playing cards shut to its chest, the Congress has thus far saved its stand ambiguous as to whether or not it might assist the AAP or not when the ordinance is put to check in Parliament by the BJP-led Centre.

Asked in regards to the ordinance problem and AAP’s ultimatum, Kharge, earlier than leaving for Patna on Friday morning, mentioned his social gathering would take a choice on it earlier than Parliament’s Monsoon session and questioned why it was being talked about elsewhere when it was a matter that pertains to Parliament.

“Opposing or proposing it does not happen outside, it happens in Parliament. Before Parliament begins, all parties decide what issues they have to work on together. They know it and even their leaders come to our all-party meetings. I don’t know why is there so much publicity about it outside,” Kharge mentioned.

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Ahead of the assembly, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, whereas addressing social gathering staff, mentioned all Opposition parties are going to defeat the BJP in the 2024 basic elections unitedly.

Accusing the BJP of working to “divide India and spread hate and violence”, he asserted {that a} combat of ideologies is happening in India.

“On one hand, there is the Congress’ ‘Bharat Jodo’ ideology and on the other, the BJP and RSS’ ‘Bharat Todo’ thinking,” Gandhi mentioned addressing social gathering staff and leaders on the social gathering workplace in Patna.

“You know that hate cannot be countered with hate. It can be defeated only with love. The Congress is working for uniting the country and spreading love,” he mentioned, including, “That is why we have come to Bihar because the DNA of the Congress is in Bihar.”

“All Opposition parties have come here and together we are going to defeat the BJP,” Gandhi mentioned.

In Karnataka, the BJP leaders gave speeches and went in all places however the result’s there for all to see, the previous Congress chief mentioned.

“As soon as the Congress stood united, the BJP disappeared in Karnataka. I am saying it from this stage that the BJP will be nowhere in Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and the Congress will win,” Gandhi claimed.

At the identical occasion, Kharge urged social gathering staff to put aside their variations and combat the 2024 basic elections unitedly, asserting that “if we win in Bihar, we will win the country”.

Before the assembly, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin dubbed the Opposition huddle a “war cry” towards a “fascist and autocratic regime.”

The Samajwadi Party is the one social gathering from Uttar Pradesh attending the assembly with BSP supremo Mayawati not being invited and Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Chaudhary skipping the conclave due to a household programme. Uttar Pradesh sends the utmost variety of 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha.

West Bengal Chief Minister Banerjee, who arrived right here on Thursday night, met Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Yadav, former Bihar CM Rabri Devi and Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav earlier.

Asked what is going to occur on the assembly, she informed reporters exterior Tejashwi Yadav’s residence on Thursday, “I cannot say anything now. We have come here as we will fight together, one-to-one (against the BJP). We will fight together like a family.”