Non-BJP, Cong leaders hold meeting of minds

Non-Congress and non-BJP parties on Wednesday held a “meeting of minds” and discussed the current political scenario, including the logjam in Parliament due to protests demanding the ouster of senior BJP leaders who are caught in controversies.Senior NCP leader Praful Patel said it was just a meeting of minds in the largest democracy and clarified that it should, however, not be seen as a ‘third front’ meeting. “There is certainly a lot of space in the country, which does not necessarily subscribe to the views of the BJP or the Congress. There are many States in which these two parties do not exist,” said Patel. 

Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, Sharad Yadav of JD(U), TMC leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee were among the prominent leaders who attend the meeting.“There are so many issues before the country, including the Parliament logjam... So, the meeting was just an attempt to make minds meet; beyond that there is no politics,” said NCP leader Praful Patel. 

Pointing to Bihar, where Assembly polls are round the corner, Patel said it was a State whose politics revolved primarily around just two players — Nitish Kumar and lalu Parasad Yadav. Patel said that Mamata Banerjee had during her meeting with Pawar suggested that, being a senior leader, he should call non-BJP and non-Congress leaders for discussions over a cup of tea.