New Delhi: The Opposition had a “good meeting” in Patna Friday, its host and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said, adding that another confab would be held in July to fine-tune the front and strategy for 2024.
Kumar said that leaders of 17 parties had decided to fight the general election together because the “ruling BJP was not working for the country”.
The host of the next meeting – in the second week of July in Shimla – will be Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. Kharge said the common agenda for the next Lok Sabha elections would be decided then.
The Congress chief added that each state would have a different strategy.
Rahul Gandhi said there might be differences ahead “but all leaders have decided to work together”. “There is an attack on India’s foundation, institutions, and its voice by the BJP and RSS. I have said before that this will be a war of ideologies. We will protect our like-minded ideology,” Gandhi said.
The Congress leader also said the Opposition’s unity was a process and that with “flexibility” it would forge ahead.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banjeree talked about three definite outcomes of the meeting. “We are united, we will fight unitedly and we are not just the Opposition. We are citizens, we are patriotic, and we also worship Bharat Mata. We burn when Manipur burns,” she said.
The Trinamool Congress chief added that Patna as the seat of the Opposition’s first meeting was a tribute to the fact that what starts in Bihar, soon engulfs the whole country. “We have had many meetings in Delhi, but not so successful,” she said.
Calling the BJP dictatorial, Banerjee said if they were voted to power again, no further elections might be held in the country.
The meeting was also attended by Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, Samajwadi Party head Akhilesh Yadav, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury, Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal, AAP’s Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin (DMK), Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren (JMM), RJD’s Lalu Prasad Yadav, Maharashtra’s former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and Kashmiri leader (Shiv Sena-UBT), CPI chief D. Raja, CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) head Mehbooba Mufti.
Sharad Pawar said this front “would have the blessings of the people” just like the movement of Jayaprakash Narayan.
Mehbooba Mufti told the media that the Opposition would not allow Gandhi’s India to become Godse’s country.
CPI leader D. Raja said the BJP’s nine-year rule had become “disastrous and detrimental” to the Constitution of the country. National Conference chief Omar Abdullah added that 17 parties from Kashmir to Kanyakumari had come together not for power, but for principles.
Also read: Oppn united to defeat BJP, says Rahul before Patna meet; Kharge says ‘he took first step’