In a major step towards forging a united anti-BJP front, the prominent leaders of opposition parties on Sunday attended the ‘Samman Diwas Rally’ in Fatehabad and called for a new alliance that includes the Congress for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, stressing that a bipolar contest will ensure the BJP's defeat.
The rally, organized to mark the 109th birth anniversary of late Deputy Prime Minister Tau Devi by INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala to forge the ‘Third Front’ against the BJP, was attended by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, his Deputy and senior RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar from Maharashtra, Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Sitaram Yechury, JDU leader KC Tyagi, Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal. Meghalaya Governor and senior BJP leader Satya Pal Malik also sent a video message praising Devi Lal.
Chautala, addressing the rally, called for opposition unity to defeat the BJP. “The Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal would be constructed within a year of the formation of INLD Government in Haryana in 2024,” he declared.
Nitish Kumar said that during the previous elections, BJP tried to defeat their candidates; and now, the opposition parties will defeat the BJP in 2024 general elections. “There is no question of a Third Front. There should be one front that includes the Congress. Then we can trounce the BJP in 2024,” Kumar said.
Tejashwi Yadav said that the relationship between Tau Devi Lal and his father had been very cordial. “Now there is no NDA in the country. Parties like JDU, Shiv Sena, and Akali Dal have left the BJP to save democracy in the country,” he said.
Recalling the days spent with Tau Devi Lal, Sharad Pawar said that the INLD leader always worked for the poor sections. Pawar accused the Narendra Modi-led Central Government of working for the rich and industrialists. “Today's government is waiving loans of billionaires worth crores, while on the other hand the common man is troubled by rising inflation,” he said.
Sitaram Yechury said that the BJP people today claim that the time of Amrit Kaal will come in the country. “When the nectar came out during the churning of the ocean, it was first captured by the demons…Kerala is the only state in the country where the CPI Government and the people of Kerala did not allow a single BJP MLA to win in their state,” he said.
On the pretext of this rally, former Chief Minister Chautala wanted to bring all the big leaders of anti-BJP parties on one platform so that a third front could be formed in the country. INLD claimed that veteran leaders of 11 states or their representatives came to attend the rally.
SAD, Shiv Sena, JD(U) are “real NDA” as we had founded the alliance: Sukhbir
Joining in the call for like-minded parties to form a united front, the SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday claimed that his party, along with the Shiv Sena and the Janta Dal (United), are the “real NDA” as they had founded the alliance.
“It is the time for all like-minded parties to unite under the flag of farmers and labourers and work for their welfare,” he said.
Talking about the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), he said that the alliance was formed when BJP was relatively a weaker force. “The real NDA is sitting here, it was founded by Shiv Sena, Akali Dal, and JD(U). We stood by BJP when it was a relatively smaller party. But now, it is time to forge an alliance for farmers and labourers,” he said.