Patna: Fifteen Opposition parties met in Patna Friday to forge a common front in “national interest” and, with the aim to take on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, decided to initiate talks on the contentious issue of seat-sharing.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who hosted the meeting at his official residence, told media persons after the nearly three-hour-long meeting that a decision has been taken to “fight the next polls together”, adding that the modalities will be worked out next month in Shimla.
However, the Aam Admi Party (AAP), which was among the parties which attended the meeting, struck a discordant note and in a statement said that it “will be difficult” for them to participate in future meetings of like-minded parties “where the Congress is a participant” unless the latter pledges to vote against the Delhi ordinance in Rajya Sabha.
Calling it the “black ordinance”, the AAP said it was “anti-constitutional, anti-federalism, and outright undemocratic”. “Furthermore, it seeks to reverse the Supreme Court’s judgment on the issue and is an affront to the judiciary. Congress’ hesitation and refusal to act as a team player, especially on an issue as important as this one, would make it very difficult for the AAP to be a part of any alliance that includes Congress,” the AAP said in its statement soon after the meeting.
Save for the friction between the AAP — represented by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann at the meeting — and the Congress over the issue, leaders present in the meeting told the media that the discussions were held in a “cordial atmosphere”, and ended on a “note of optimism”.
Addressing a press briefing after the meeting, Nitish said the Shimla huddle will be convened by the Congress, which governs Himachal Pradesh. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has said the meeting is likely to be held on 12 July.
“We had very fruitful discussions. There was an agreement to work together and to fight the next elections together. Mallikarjun Kharge will convene the next meeting. This (initiative) is in the national interest. Our effort will be given final shape during the next meeting,” said Nitish.
The parties at the meeting included the Congress, Janata Dal (United), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Trinamool Congress, AAP, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Jammu & Kashmir National Conference, J&K Peoples Democratic Party, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation, and the Samajwadi Party.
A ‘flexible’ approach
No questions were taken at the media briefing, which was also attended by Kharge, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, and RJD chief Lalu Prasad, among others.
Kejriwal and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK leader M.K. Stalin, though, gave it a miss. Stalin, it was learnt, had to catch a flight.
Kharge said a common agenda to fight the elections unitedly was in the works. Significantly, he also stressed that the agenda will be drawn up keeping in mind that a similar narrative will not work in every state.
“We will have to work in every state differently as the same narrative doesn’t work everywhere. We need to fight unitedly in 2024,” Kharge said. Rahul added that the parties will adopt a “flexible” approach.
“I said in the meeting that this is an ideological war and we are together in this. There will be differences amongst us but we have decided to work together and we will work with flexibility and will safeguard our shared ideology,” Rahul said.
Banerjee, who reportedly intervened when tempers flared over the Delhi ordinance issue at the meeting, said a decision has been taken to not just fight elections, but also the “political vendetta” of the BJP together.
“Firstly, we are united. Secondly, we will fight unitedly. And thirdly, we will fight vendetta unitedly. BJP wants history to distort history. People say if they return there won’t be any polls in the future,” she said.
At the briefing, the RJD supremo, who underwent a kidney transplant operation in Singapore last December, said he was now “fully fit”. “Ab hum Modi aur BJP ko fit kar denge (loosely translated, I will teach Modi and BJP a lesson),” said Lalu, showing flashes of his trademark wit.
He also had a word of advice for Rahul. “You should listen to us and get married now. Your mother always told me that you don’t listen to her. There’s still time. Get married, hum log baraati chalenge (we will be a part of your wedding procession),” he said, drawing chuckles from other leaders and reporters.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
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