Continuing with his efforts to bridge the gap between the like-minded political parties, Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar on Monday met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi after which the leaders announced that a “vast majority” of non-BJP parties will meet to give a concrete shape to Opposition unity to take on the BJP in the 2024 general elections.
The Opposition has plans to put forward one common candidate to defeat the BJP to upstage it from power at the Centre, but some have expressed reservations over such a proposal as some parties have aspirations to contest the maximum number of seats.
The Congress also is not inclined to restrict itself to around 200 seats and wants to contest more seats, claiming that it is a national player unlike many regional outfits and has a presence across the country. It has also contended that it is the only party that can directly take on the BJP due to its national footprint. The Congress’ contention has got a boost after the Karnataka win where it emphatically beat BJP in a direct contest.
The JD(U), RJD and the Congress are in a coalition Government in Bihar and the three parties have been in talks to bring other Opposition parties together on a common platform in their fight against the BJP. After Nitish-Kharge-Rahul meeting, the Congress asserted that a “vast majority” of non-BJP parties will meet soon. Briefing about the Kharge-Nitish meeting, Congress general secretary (organisation) KC venugopal informed the media that the venue and date of the expected meeting will be announced in a day or two.
The JD(U) has been keen on holding the meeting in Patna while sources in the Congress had earlier indicated that Kharge would be taking the lead and meeting top leaders of various Opposition parties.
‘The country will be united now. The strength of democracy is our message. Rahul and myself discussed the current political situation with Nitish today and took forward the process of giving a new direction to the country,’ Kharge said in a tweet message.
Nitish was accompanied by his JD(U) president Lalan Singh.
After holding meeting with Kharge last month, Nitish has met leaders of a host of regional parties in his bid to bring them together on one platform with the Congress to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
A day earlier Nitish met AAP convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday at his residence and extended ‘complete support’ to him in the ongoing face-off with the Centre over the control of administrative services. AAP had said this is a ‘time for agni pariksha’ for Opposition parties, and they should come together if they want to save the country’s democracy and Constitution.
Significantly, Nitish, Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah attended the swearing-in ceremony of Siddaramaiah as the Karnataka Chief Minister on Saturday, in a show of Opposition unity.
Some regional leaders, including Kejriwal and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, were not invited to the ceremony. Nitish, however, has been trying to bring them on board as well.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel hailed his Bihar counterpart and exuded confidence that the latter will succeed in uniting Opposition parties.’He (Nitish) had met Kharge (Congress president) in Bengaluru with other national leaders. Luckily I was seated beside Nitish. We had a lengthy discussion about his efforts (to unite the opposition). I believe he will succeed in his endeavour,’ the Chhattisgarh CM said. The AAP’s appeal to the Opposition parties comes ahead of Kejriwal’s plan to reach out to each of them to seek their support, starting with his West Bengal counterpart and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata on Tuesday.
‘All Opposition parties should come together against the Ordinance. This is time for agni pariksha (trial by fire). There is Emergency in the country. There is no democracy left in the country,’ AAP Rajya Sabha MP and national spokesperson Sanjay Singh said.
The Congress will also have to decide if it stands in favour of India’s democracy and federal structure or against them, Singh said, when asked if Kejriwal will reach out to the grand old party.
The AAP is locked in bitter tussle with the BJP-led Centre since the Union Government promulgated an Ordinance on Friday to create a National Capital Civil Service Authority which will handle the transfer of IAS and DANICS cadre officers and also matters of disciplinary proceedings against them.
