Prominent Opposition leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee, Bhagwant Mann, and Mehbooba Mufti, arrived in Patna on Thursday evening for a high-level meeting aimed at charting a roadmap for the formation of an anti-BJP front ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The meeting is being touted as a brainstorming session to discuss strategies and build consensus among Opposition parties.
Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Kejriwal has been advocating for a discussion on the Centre’s ordinance regarding control of administrative services in the national Capital. He expects the Congress to respond positively and support the AAP’s stance. However, the Congress has not yet clarified its position on whether it will back the AAP when the ordinance is put to test in Parliament by the BJP-led Centre.
The possibility of an immediate walkout from the Patna meeting has been hinted at by certain sections of the AAP leadership if the Congress did not support Kejriwal’s demand. Kejriwal and Mann visited the Patna Sahib Gurudwara during their visit.
In response to the developments, Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit stated that Kejriwal would not be missed at the meeting if he chooses to skip it.
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata first met with RJD chief Lalu Prasad, former Bihar CM Rabri Devi, and Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav. Later in the evening, she had a meeting with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Mamata emphasised the need for unity among Opposition parties and stated that they will fight together “like a family” to take on the NDA.
The Opposition meeting aims to build a common ground and avoid contentious issues of leadership for the time being. Leaders from 15 parties, including several Chief Ministers, are expected to attend the deliberations.
The BJP has been capitalising on differences within the Opposition ranks and repeatedly questioning their leadership and prime ministerial face.
The meeting takes place amid internal disagreements within the Opposition, with Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury staging a dharna in Bengal’s Murshidabad district, demanding action against Trinamool Congress activists who allegedly attacked Congress workers ahead of the State’s panchayat polls.
Notable leaders expected to attend the meeting include Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Kejriwal, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav, former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, and NCP president Sharad Pawar. The meeting is hosted by Nitish and his deputy Tejashwi.
Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin, CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, and CPI (ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya will also participate.
However, the Telangana-based Bharat Rashtra Samithi, the Biju Janata Dal of Odisha, the BSP led by Mayawati, and the YSR Congress Party are expected to skip the meeting. The RLD, which is in alliance with the SP, also cited prior commitments for its absence.
Mayawati criticised the participating parties, calling the meeting more about joining hands than hearts. It should be noted that she has not been invited to the Opposition meeting.
“We have invited parties that are willing to fight against the BJP in 2024 and want to be part of an anti-BJP front. Mayawati, Naveen Patnaik, K Chandrashekar Rao, and YS Jagan Mohan Reddy have not been invited, so there is no question of them skipping the meeting,” clarified JD(U) leader K C Tyagi.