Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and former Congress President Rahul Gandhi with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna today.
By G Krishna Mohan Rao*
Patna: Leaders of 7 opposition parties, who met today in Patna, vowed to fight together in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and decided to hold the next meeting on July 12, 2023, in Shimla to discuss the future road map for the opposition unity to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Janata Dal-United supremo and Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, who convened the meeting to form a united alternative to take on the Narendra Modi-led BJP government, at his residence, described the meeting as productive and satisfactory and added that the “next meeting would be convened by the Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge leadership in Shimla and prepare an agenda”.
Sources indicated that the meeting under the leadership of Nitish Kumar kick-started well as there was a majority consensus for a common minimum programme (CMP) and a roadmap for the formation of a broad-based front. It was also felt at the meeting that the Opposition must enter into a direct fight with the BJP with secular candidates in as many as 350 Lok Sabha constituencies across the country. In the meeting, there were several suggestions for working out a formula to field one common candidate against the BJP.
Over 18 parties were expected to take part in the landmark event, however, leaders of 17 parties attended the crucial meeting. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, Shiv Sena (Uddhav) chief Uddhav Thackeray, Aam Aadmi Party convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Jharkhand CM and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Hemant Soren, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretaries Sitaram Yechuri and D Raja, former Jammu & Kashmir chief Ministers Mehbooba Mufti (People’s Democratic Party) and Omar Abdulla (National Conference) among others attended today’s meeting at Patna. The Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo, Laloo Prasad Yadav was the main attraction with several leaders enquiring about his health and seeking blessings from him.
Many opposition leaders, after the meeting, expressed their satisfaction with the proceedings and the manner in which views were expressed. CPI leader Raja said that all through the meeting there was full comradarie and views expressed by each party leader were well appreciated. There were apprehensions that today’s meeting may not be a smooth affair with the regional parties like Trinamul Congress and AAP issuing veiled threats to Congress in search of absolute supremacy. In fact, sources said that by raising the Manipur issue, Mamata took the fight straight to the saffron brigade.
The Congress Party chief Kharge told newsmen that “all leaders are united and we are preparing a common agenda. Only on July 12 we are meeting again in Shimla in Himachal Pradesh”. Kharge also said that the Congress Party would take a decision on the Centre’s Ordinance regarding Delhi civil services prior to the Parliament session. However, the AAP leadership seems to be unhappy with the Congress and felt that the latter was not acting like a team player. It is learnt that AAP boycotted the joint press meeting addressed by all the parties.
Talking to newsmen after the meet Mamata Bannerjee said “Whatever starts in Patna becomes a public movement. Three things have resolved— we are united, we will fight together and we will fight for the country”. Mamata in her trademark style launched a diatribe against the BJP and presented herself as a fulcrum of Opposition unity at the same time. Mamata’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee was also a part of today’s meeting. In other words, Mamata was trying to send a message that in her absence Abhishek would represent her and also indicate a smooth transition of power within Trinamul.
Despite the presence of top-notch leaders like Sharad Pawar, Kharge, Mehbooba Mufti and others, Mamata held the centre stage both in look and feel. Interestingly, both Mamata and Nitish Kumar, who were seen hobnobbing and flirting with the BJP in the past made it possible to bring together Bengal foes Trinamul Congress and CPM (the presence of Sitaram Yechuri in the meeting) and Kashmir arch-rivals Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah.
On the other side, the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party was not invited to today’s meeting and so was K Chandrashekhar Rao-led Bharat Rashtra Samithi. Nitish Kumar said only those who openly oppose the BJP could join the meeting. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy as well as Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik were also not invited since both the Chief Ministers were maintaining equidistance from both the groups.
Meanwhile, the ruling BJP ridiculed the Opposition meeting in Patna and described it as politics of convenience and added that the 17 parties are facing full of contradictions among themselves and would disintegrate under their own weight. BJP spokesperson Shahzad Poonavala further said that the Opposition is united today, only to escape from the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation cases pending against several of opposition party leaders.
*Senior journalist
